The Locking of the Heart
by Chocoholic221B
Summary: Fem!Gon and Fem!Pika. KuroKura and KilluGon. In the not-so-quiet city of York New, trouble lurks. Trouble calls itself Kurapika Kurta, and she is angry and miserable. Danger joins trouble. Danger calls itself Chrollo and he's also miserable but not so angry and definitely more resigned. [Previously called of Lions and Blonde Avengers. Sequel to NAPP!]
1. Of Komugis and Spiders

**Disclaimer: I don't own HxH**

 **(A/N: Here comes the warning. This is a Fem!Kura, Fem!Gon, KilluGon, KuroKura fic. It's also a sequel. So if you haven't yet. I suggest you read the first fic, Netero's Academy for Potential Playthings before you read this one. It's not very good because I started it without really knowing where I was going. So, there's a lot of filler, but if you squint, there's a storyline. It's cute so that should count for something. Also, let us all assume for the moment that the language spoken by most of the HxH world is English.)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 1:**

 **Of Komugis and Spiders**

The streets of YorkNew were silent. Not because they usually were, but because most of the occupants of said streets were too shocked by the sight before them to do anything too noisy. A young woman, no older than twenty, with honey-kissed, shoulder-length hair walked between the lines of cluttered shops. Her lips were pulled into a neutral line, her black eyes cold and calculating. Her entire aura seemed to scream that she could kill anyone, at any time, if they got too close. She was deadly, as she walked through the town square, her body clothed in blue and gold. Even with the strange clothing, she was unmistakably beautiful.

But that wasn't what shocked them. Everyone in the city had seen beautiful, deadly, young woman before. It was part of the YorkNew life, and some even came to the city just for that reason. No, it was the adult lion following her like a bodyguard would its boss, eyes analyzing everyone in search of some signs of danger. A predator on the prowl.

What a magnificent alliance.

The eyes of hundreds followed the woman as she crossed the street with long, elegant strides. She gazed up at a large, muscular man who had been yelling at a white-haired girl dressed in pink and white crumpled on the ground, her walking cane and suitcase just slightly out of reach. The woman started talking, her voice a soft, low melody that sounded almost like a song. All hundred and thirty-five people in that crowded street strained their ears to listen.

"She's sightless," the woman said, her voice startling stable in the presence of a man twice her size. "Or were you too busy harassing her to notice?"

"Heh, the hell you think you are, talking to me like that?!" he yelled at her, leaning down to intimidate her with his own version of the death glare. To the onlookers, it simply looked like he was squinting. The woman didn't glare at him. She stared, eyes blank as a latent anger burned beneath them.

"No one in particular. Now, answer me. What kind of scum pushes a young, sightless girl around like a puppet?" There it was. The anger. It sent shivers down their spines, but all the stupid man saw was an empty insult.

"You b*tch!" he yelled. And then? And then he threw a punch at her. Idiot. The blonde side-stepped with deadly grace, causing the man to fall to the ground. Right at the paws of the lion.

The beast snarled at him, baring its teeth as it stepped closer.

Idiot muscle man screamed a strangely high-pitched shriek of horror, scampered to his feet, and ran at a speed that could easily win him a few records.

Suddenly, a large, blonde man in a tracksuit started laughing and clapping at the display, walking closer to the woman. Was he her father? No, he wasn't good-looking enough to be related to her. Unless she'd inherited her mother's beauty.

The woman ignored him, choosing instead to focus on the crying girl on the floor. The men, there were two of them now, continued to approach her.

"Damn, is that a real lion?" the tracksuit guy asked, reaching out to touch the creature's mane. It snapped at his hand, and he promptly drew it back. "Cute."

"It could probably bite your head off right now," the short man beside him said, voice almost a whisper, muffled by the skull bandana he wore over his mouth.

The woman kneeled down next to the girl, still ignoring the two men.

"Are you alright?" she asked, voice so gentle and kind that half her public nearly melted in it.

She stared off into space but nodded her head fervently. "Yes, yes! I'm fine. I just tripped that's all." The blind girl tried to stand up but quickly fell back down, clutching her ankle in pain.

"May I see?" the blonde inquired. She nodded, tears trailing down her face. The lion woman took her ankle gingerly, inspecting it with cold calculation. "Looks like it's sprained. Come, we need to get it fixed? I'll take you there."

"Oh, no!" the girl said, waving her friends in front of her, dismissing the thought. "I can't intrude any more than I already have! Please, I'll be fine."

"But you can't walk," the woman reasoned.

"But -"

"No buts," the woman cut her off, sounding much like a mother scolding her child. "You are in no position to go anywhere. Bahari."

The lion, whose name was evidently Bahari, approached the two females obediently. Kurapika's hand disappeared into its mane as she petted it. Her gaze was inquiring, asking permission. Then, with zero difficulties, she picked the other girl up and placed her on its back.

"Do you have a particular place you'd like us to go to, Miss," the woman asked, politely.

The girl's face contorted in thought. "Ah, well, I was on my way to my hotel room when I got lost."

"And where would that be?" she followed up.

"Golden Gates Hotel. Room 341," the blind girl answered, twiddling her fingers.

"Understood."

. . .

"Man," the annoying one started talking again, "you know your way around, kid. How long have you been in the city?"

Kurapika glowered as she took another left, but not answering him would be childish, so she gave her answer. "One day."

"What?" the man exclaimed, clearly impressed. "And you memorized the whole city in that time?"

"Yes," she answered, monotonously.

"Man, you're really something, you know that?" the blond man said, placing his arms behind his back and stretching. "Danchou sure knows how to pick 'em."

"Danchou?" Pick 'em. Like some fruit from the produce aisle? Great, now she was remembering Hisoka. Speaking of Hisoka, didn't he always call Chrollo Danchou? This Danchou and Chrollo couldn't possibly be the same person, right?

"Chrollo. Chrollo Lucilfer. You know, black hair, black eyes, pale like a vampire, charismatic, handsome," the blond one listed off.

"You sound like a girl," the small one snickered.

"I do not! I'm just trying to jog her memory!" he defended, reminding her of Leorio whenever Killua pushed his buttons. She mentally shook her head of the thought. Leorio and Killua were hardly as annoying as these two. They didn't deserve to be compared to these idiots.

"Chrollo?" she finally said, realization dawning on her face. She swiveled around to face them. "Did he send you two to spy on me?"

"What? No. I'm here of my own volition." Ooh, big words. She wasn't buying them.

"And you just happened to see me in a crowd of millions? We just happened to be on the same street? You just happened to have nothing to do for the next few, what, hours?" she swiveled back around to her previous position. "Damn him. I knew he had something up his sleeve."

And no, she didn't feel relieved that he was still thinking about her.

Phinks sputtered and let a string of nonsensical rubbage slip out of his mouth like many people did when they felt wronged in some way. Until, finally, he yelled, "Girl, calm down! You have a friggin' lion! Of course, I was curious! Besides, Danchou showed us a picture."

Kurapika stared at him silently for a few long seconds, and then turned away, uttering four simple words, "I don't believe you."

The girl showed the hotel clerk her Hunter's License, to which they responded by greeting her enthusiastically and saying that if she needed anything, they would do whatever they could to help. This scene was apparently hilarious because Phinks kept stifling his laughter.

"Enjoy your stay, Miss," the hotel clerk said, handing her the keys to room 341.

"Thank you."

. . .

"There you go," Kurapika said, setting the younger girl down on the couch. "Here, let me see your ankle."

The girl obeyed, and Kurapika sent them a pointed look. Phinks wasn't sure what she was trying to do. Maybe make them explode with her mind or something. Danchou couldn't have gotten a sweeter, saner girl, could he? No, he ended up with a strange, sharp-tongued lion woman.

"Get out."

"What?" Phinks asked.

"I'll be using my Hatsu now," she elaborated as if they were mere children and not secretly cold-blooded killers. "So get out."

"How come she can stay," Phinks whined, pointing at the white-haired young lady.

" _She_ has a name. Komugi. She is also blind," Kurapika said, as the woman, Komugi, looked between the two of them nervously.

"We'll be waiting outside," Feitan replied, already walking to the door. The traitor.

"I can't believe you let her win that easily," Phinks complained, as he shut the door behind him. Feitan shrugged, that bored look ever-present on his face.

"She's Danchou's woman."

That was no excuse! Oh well, he could wait a few minutes for her to open the door.

. . . Two Hours Later . . .

"She's not opening the door, is she?" Phinks muttered, a disheartened look on his face. What a world, what a world. Women just go and lock you outside their homes for two hours. Leave it to Danchou to fall for some devil woman.

"Probably not," Feitan replied, in his quiet monotone. He stood there, in the corner of the room, sharpening his swords as he often did when he was bored, eyes narrowed in bloodlust as he thought about his next kill. He continued, "C'mon we'll be late for the meeting."

Phinks grumbled something under his breath, as he pressed the button for the elevator to come.

Devil woman. Putting him in a bad mood. Did Danchou know of her true nature?

. . .

They were finally gone. Two hours. At the very least, they were patient. She still couldn't see how Chrollo could be friends with such idiots.

"Um, Miss Kurapika?" an uncertain whisper came her way. "I - I'd l-l-like to tha-thank you for s-saving me."

Kurapika smiled, motherly instincts kicking in without a hitch. "There's no need to thank me, Komugi. I'm happy to help."

The girl smiled sheepishly, twiddling her thumbs as if she wasn't quite sure what to do with them. "Your voice is really nice."

"My voice?"

Komugi nodded, enthusiastically. "You're not a native speaker, are you?"

Kurapika's eyes widened, though she couldn't say she was too surprised. Komugi's other senses must be sharper than a normal person's due to her blindness. An accent? Her English was perfect. No one had ever been able to detect the slightest inflection in it. Or, at least, no one had ever been brave enough to mention it.

"No, I'm not," Kurapika finally answered, her voice becoming cold as it often did when someone knew more than she told them. The blonde felt a bit bad about that. The poor girl had already been through so much.

Komugi waved her arms in front of her, frantically. "I didn't mean to be rude! It's really pretty! Calming like wind chimes ringing in the wind."

Kurapika took her hands. "No, no. I'm sorry. That came out colder than I'd planned. Not many people can tell I'm not a native speaker. I'm impressed."

That sheepish smile returned.

"D-Do you p-play Gungi, Miss Kurapika?" she asked.

Kurapika nodded. "I've tried before. I'm not very good, but -"

"That's alright!" the girl chirped, getting up and finding her way to her suitcase. She quickly pulled out a game board and then made her way back to the couch. "Could you play a few rounds with me? I've got a match tomorrow, and playing with someone at practice is a lot more fun than playing alone!"

Kurapika got ready to turn down her offer. After all, she had to be at the interview for that bodyguard position tomorrow morning.

But then, she just looked so happy to be playing with someone. Kurapika didn't want to disappoint her. She knew what it was like to be alone.

"Alright," she agreed. And right before the game started, she remembered to pull out a small, black remote-control-like thing. A wiretap deactivator. She wasn't buying their story for one second, and if she knew Chrollo at all, he'd have them place a bug somewhere close by, preferably on her.

. . .

"Yo, Danchou," Phinks greeted.

"You're late," Nobunaga grumbled, sitting cross-legged on the grimy floor of the abandoned building and his katana resting casually in his arms.

"Sorry, we had a bit of a run-in with the devil and her lion," Phinks replied, a bit mockingly.

"I didn't know the devil had a lion," Nobunaga muttered, grouchily.

"It was Danchou's girlfriend," Feitan clarified, quietly. He wasn't one to beat around the bush with tasteless metaphors. "The blonde."

The entire room went silent, all eleven of them turning to look at their Danchou and take in his expression. It hadn't changed in the slightest. He sat there with his nose stuck in a book as usual.

Five minutes of staring pa ed by, and their Danchou finally sighed. "If you want to say something, say it."

They all turned to Pakunoda, who had known Danchou the longest out of all of them and was easily the closest one to Danchou. She gave them one swift glare before bravely taking up her role as the chief negotiator.

"Are you sure you want to have the next heist happen here in YorkNew while Kurapika is in town?" she asked. The other ten legs almost groaned in disappointment. None of them had that question in mind.

"I don't see why not," Danchou said, looking back down at his book, clear disinterest written all over his features. Too much disinterest. "The Spider's operations come first. Should she be caught in the crossfire, well, we all know what she looks like? Get her out of it, in that case."

Someone chuckled, and the sound vibrated off the walls, ricocheting like a rejected bullet. They all, except Chrollo, turned to face Hisoka, entering defensive positions almost immediately.

The Spider flipped a card over in his hand. He, much like Chrollo, wasn't paying much attention to the other Spiders. Though, that was because he truly didn't care about them, not because he was trying to be authoritative.

"If only it was that easy," he chuckled to himself, before letting the card slip from his hands. He turned to look at their Danchou, who still refused to look at him, the same bored expression on his face. "Eh, Danchou?"

Feitan's pocket buzzed, and he pulled out his phone.

"Ah, seems she's found it. That was quick."

. . .

Kurapika decided she couldn't just leave the poor girl defenseless, so she offered to stay the night in case something happened. After all, YorkNew was a dangerous place. Komugi had, of course, told her it was fine and that she didn't want to trouble her any more than she already had. The blonde convinced her otherwise.

"Miss Kurapika?" she asked, suddenly. The white-haired girl sat up in her bed.

"Yes, Komugi," Kurapika replied, eyes closed as she rested her head on Bahari's side right outside the bedroom door. This was far more comfortable than the couch in her humble opinion.

"Would you like to stay for a while longer?"

"Here?" she asked. It would be easy to get an apartment but she didn't really know how long she'd be staying in YorkNew. Neon had told her that the bodyguard selection process was rather meticulous, not that that was saying much. Still, there might be sleeping quarters provided. She might not get the job at all. They might stay in YorkNew for the one auction and then go to some new place. So many possibilities. She couldn't plan anything until later.

"My sponsors are paying for everything anyway, so it won't be a problem," Komugi added quickly.

Kurapika grimaced, but she still didn't open her eyes. "Why didn't one of them take you here?"

"Oh, I didn't want to bother anyone," Komugi answered, flustered. "I guess it wasn't very smart, but they already do so much . . ."

"That's no excuse," Kurapika mumbled. How could they leave such a sweet girl to fend for herself on the streets of one of the most crime-filled cities in the world? "I'd love to stay a little longer, Komugi."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Can we play Gungi again tomorrow?"

"Of course." It had quite possibly been the first time Kurapika had lost in a game of wits to anyone other than Chrollo. The girl had quite a talent. She probably had Savant Syndrome mixed in with some latent Nen. Fascinating. Neon apparently had a latent fortune-telling Nen ability as well, if her description of the power was to be believed.

Specialists really were incredible. Kurapika hoped they didn't mind her stealing into their group.

. . . On the YorkNew City Deck/A Week From September First . . .

"Wow!" Gon exclaimed, eyes bright with excitement. "It's so bright! It's like it isn't night time at all!"

"Yeah," Killua said, arms crossed over his chest as he took in the sight.

"You think Kurapika and Leorio are already here?" Gon chattered, enthusiastically. "I can't wait to tell them about Greed Island!"

"Maybe we should call them?" Killua suggested.

"Call?" Gon repeated, quizzically.

"You don't know either of their numbers, do you?"

Gon scratched the back of her head, embarrassed at being found out. Killua smirked. She really was adorable.

"Don't worry. I do." He had asked them both before they left. Leorio immediately told him. Kurapika, not so much. She went on about how she'd be doing dangerous things, and if she was caught, they might be pulled into it as well. He quickly used the fact that he was an assassin who could easily pull out someone's heart in less than a second to his advantage.

"Can we call them now? Can we call them now? Can we? Can we? Can we?" she asked, jumping up and down.

He smirked, put a hand on her shoulder to stop her bouncing, and said, "I'm pretty sure they're both asleep by now." It was two thirty in the morning, after all.

"Oh," she whispered, visibly deflating like a popped balloon, "I guess you're right."

"Let's get to the hotel first, 'kay? We'll call them in the morning."

The girl brightened up again. Tomorrow, it was. She wondered how they were doing. What they were doing. Kurapika worried her a bit. She had this dark look about her before they left. Gon hadn't forgotten about the blonde's revenge. Kurapika had gone to YorkNew for a reason.

 _You better be okay come September First, Kurapika. You better be there._

. . .

 **Next on Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Kurapika's interview with the Nostrades and her securing her position. Gon starts her search for the game.**

 **(A/N: That was a short goodbye. What? Did you think I'd leave you guys for a year or something? Hell nah, I'm posting as many chapters as I can before school starts up. Every two days, probably. Have fun with the uneditness of it all.)**

 **To Everyone: Glad to see y'all back here. I hope you liked this strange start to the YorkNew city arc. Please review, favorite, and follow, if you would be so kind.**


	2. Of Training and Interviews

**Disclaimer: I do not own HxH**

 **(A/N: BTW, this is a month before the auction. KilluGon came in a week before September 1st. This is also the only time I'll probably transfer an actual scene from the anime into my stories. It was terrible. I had to keep pausing the actual video. It was like a glitch, except it was intentional.)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 2:**

 **Of Training and Interviews**

Kurapika left the hotel a little too later than she'd planned, bidding Komugi a quick goodbye, and giving Bahari the order to watch the younger girl. The lion had nodded in understanding and then nudged her out the door. She kept shouting about all the things she'd prepared for them until she got back. She had made some onigiri and sandwiches for lunch, just in case Komugi got hungry or Kurapika didn't come back until later. The lion had growled, annoyed at her antics. She sighed and finally decided she should trust Bahari and get to that interview already. Something told her the Nostrades didn't take to tardiness kindly.

The blonde was fully aware that people were still staring at her. She didn't give a shit. People had always stared at her. This was no different. Now, what was Neon's address again? 7200 S Liberty Ave. It was the biggest house on the street.

"Hey, Luv," a deep, accented voice from beside her greeted. She turned to see a young man with blue hair sticking his head out of a limousine. "Need a ride?"

Did he think she was that stupid? Did she look that stupid? Was he that stupid?

She shrugged mentally and ran faster. It didn't matter anyway. She had an interview to ace.

"Typical," she uttered, once she finally got to the front of the gates. They looked to be made of iron. Beyond them, an expansive garden lay waiting, a path built into it, curving around a circular flower bed of roses and lilies. A coniferous forest loomed in the background, behind the grand grayish house. "The life of the elite."

One slender finger reached out to press the button for the intercom.

"Yes?" a gruff, old voice spoke.

"My name is Kurapika," she said, her voice completely steady despite the long run. Perhaps, she should've found a place a little closer to the Nostrade Mansion. But Komugi. The poor girl was here alone.

The gates slid open without another word. Kurapika accepted the silent offer. Her eyes darted around as she memorized the grounds. There were oodles of guard dogs everywhere. Two Dobermans followed her as she walked to the front door. If she weren't a guest, they'd probably tear right through her. Not that they'd actually be able to, but they'd certainly try. Kurapika didn't like the thought of having to kill so many innocent creatures.

"Welcome. Please follow me," the butler at the door requested, immediately heading up the stairs. She obeyed, still scanning the area. The man finally brought her to the entrance of a large room. "Please wait in here."

She ignored him, walking into the room without so much as a thank you. Four others awaited her. A young, pretty woman dressed in a purple tank-top, baggy lavender pants, and violet boots. Her dark pink hair was twisted into a gravity-defying braid by a yellow ribbon. Green eyes looked her up and down, and then returned to the desk in front of her. Another man sat on the couch. He had orange hair with strange sideburns that curled at the end and wore a green pinstriped shirt under a darker vest. Something about him was off from the get-go. She'd have to keep an eye on him.

There were two other men. One, a muscular man who would probably be about a head taller than her if he were standing, sported a ridiculous Auburn pompadour and a wide grin and dressed in a black vest jacket, jeans, and black boots. The last of them had coffee-colored skin and wore the most normal-looking clothes out of all of them. A simple fuschia-colored sweater and jeans.

No one said anything. Kurapika finished analyzing them and decided to take up one of the offered seats. The girl was clearly confident in her abilities, but Kurapika wouldn't classify her as a fighter. She had something else up her sleeve. The green one with the sideburns was hiding something, undoubtedly. Pompadour man looked harmless enough, though his Hatsu was probably potent enough. Fuschia looked kind of shifty in Kurapika's honest opinion.

"I apologize for the wait," the butler announced, coming to a stop next to a flat-screen TV. "Everyone has now arrived, so we will proceed to the subject of the contract."

The old man raised a black remote control, and the screen flickered to life. In it, sat a large built male with short, spiky black hair. He had tattoos under both his eyes and gazed at them with clear superiority. This was probably a video call rather than an actual pre-recorded video specially made for the interview. The man wanted to take a peek at the interviewees.

"I'll start with the requirements," his voice was a strangely calming tenor. Strange, because he worked for them mafia and probably killed people as part of his daily schedule. "I won't ask if any of you have a license. I'm only interested if you can retrieve the items we request. There's one month before the auction. Before then, you must find one of the items from the list we provide and bring it here."

Yes, yes, but where was the catch?

"These are the data cards," the butler cut in, before handing out the slick, black devices. Kurapika turned it on and flicked through the various photos of the desired items.

A lock of hair from the famous actress, Sara. Easy enough. Must suck to be a celebrity though.

Right arm of a mummy from an Egyptian tomb. Whatever happened to letting the dead rest in peace? No, we must collect their body parts instead. Scum.

An ichthyosis patient's scaly skin. Yes, not only did they have to deal with their sickness, but they also had to be subjected to people stealing their skin.

Skull of a one-horned creature. Humans were such assholes to other species.

Kurapika wasn't too surprised. They were working for a body collector.

Her thumb stroked the screen again, and the last item appeared. Her calm visage wavered for the first time, anger replacing every inch, every fiber of her being.

 _The eyeballs of a Kurta._

The room was suddenly tinted in red as if she'd put on a pair of rose-colored sunglasses. Her own eyes had triggered, no doubt, but her contacts hid them easily. A slender, pale hand tightened around the device, as she attempted to regain control of her emotions. But the fury continued to grow, fed by the grief and suffering it had replaced.

 _How dare they?_

"What's wrong? You look pale," pompadour asked, concerned. He leaned down to gaze at her card. "Ah. Scarlet eyeballs?"

 _How dare they?_

"A-rank obtainment difficulty. 'Preserve the scarlet hue immediately after death. Preferably with head attached.' I've heard rumors that when Kurta get excited, their eyes turn scarlet."

"Shut up." The arm holding the device fell limp at her side.

Kurapika's vision was suddenly filled with the memories of her dead comrades. Bodies limp, face pale and cold, eyes gone. Gouged out by the ones she was hunting, and sold to the scum who had caused them to be in such high demand. She remembered the ones who were beheaded as well. Their bodies so surreal without their heads. Ava. Cynthia. Her grandfather, the elder. Pairo. Pairo, because of his blindness.

 _How dare they?_

"Not another word."

Pompadour's eye twitched in anger, and then he pursed his lips and looked away.

"I'll say it again," the man in the video continued. "You need to find one item on the list. If you are successful, you will be hired to begin training as a bodyguard and a collector. Best of luck, then."

The screen went back to the painting of a forest, and the rest of the applicants walked away, probably already planning how to get their items. They had better start praying for their lives if they used the Scarlet Eyes to become an employee to the Nostrades. In any case, this was her first step to getting into the body collecting business. She'd simply have to get closer to the boss. Curry their favor. After all, the only thing body collectors loved more than acquiring a rare item was having someone to boast to about it. Which meant he must have connections to others who shared his disgusting hobbies. A network of the lowest scum imaginable. She would worm her way in and then utterly eradicate them all. She might have to spare Neon's father though.

"Hmmm. The door won't open," Pompadour said.

 _Ah, here comes the catch._

"I forgot to mention something," the tattooed man reappeared. "The barest of requirements is that you are strong. Strong enough to leave this mansion alive."

 _How dramatic. Really, award-winning performance._

The wooden doors suddenly splintered and scattered across the floor as six things with swords crashed through them. They all entered defensive positions. Except for the other woman, who hid behind the poor, old butler.

Kurapika materialized her chains. They sung, eager to be used as the assailants charged forward. Three more appeared with guns, and the bullets pierced through the air towards them.

With the flick of her wrist, her chains flew forward to deflect each and every metal cartridge. She felt all eyes on her once more, and she felt the strange urge to admonish them for turning their back on the enemy. She refused to work with amateurs.

A few of the sword-wielding attackers slashed at her. She danced around them, landing in front and jumping up to crouch down on the banister of the staircase. Black eyes surveyed the battlefield. Three with guns. Six with swords. She suddenly felt a presence behind her and without so much as a glance behind, the blonde leaped onto the chandelier. Two more with swords above. Nice to know. Now, back to the fighting.

Pompadour was bragging to them. Ah, no, wait, he had just figured it out. Didn't look to be faking it either. Alright, he passed. The woman with gravity-defying hair easily disarmed them without even really moving. Kurapika still though she probably didn't have a combat nen.

Her eyes zoomed in on the weird-sideburn-guy.

 _He's the one. Called it._

The room seemed to freeze. All eyes turned to the man, who currently had a knife at his throat and a ruthless-looking blonde behind him.

"Call them off. I'll give you three seconds. One. Two."

"Okay," the man said, voice hoarse with fear. She wasn't kidding. "I get it."

The puppets fell to the ground, aura seeping out of them. The other three looked down at them in shock.

"W-what?" the gravity-defying hair woman asked, voice barely above a whisper as she stared down at the pile of clothes and swords and guns on the floor. Pompadour took the liberty of filling everyone in.

"How did you know?" the man in green asked her, looking quite indifferent at being defeated so easily.

"You did well to hide behind the others as camouflage," Kurapika admitted, coolly, "but when I observed you all from above, everything became clear. You were the only one who wasn't being attacked." Plus, he was a shifty little bastard from the beginning. Perhaps, she didn't consider that he was a plant, but it was easy to tell he was hiding something.

The blonde started explaining her discovery in detail, showing off just a little bit. She needed to prove her worth, as much as it pained her. Figuring out the order he gave them was an added bonus. Finally, she turned back to the others as she revealed how she knew the manipulator had to be inside the room. They fell for it completely. Pompadour even whistled.

"Nailed it," the man said, simply, before going into an unnecessary description of himself. His name was Shachmano Tocino, he already was working for the boss, and he was a manipulator just like she said. "Now that that's all clear. Could you, um, drop the knife?"

Kurapika sent him one last glared, before slowly lowering the small dagger. Tocino slowly sank into an armchair, and then looked back at her.

"Judging by those chains, you must be a manipulator."

Wrong, but that was why she always kept them out in the open. She didn't answer, simply tipping her head down slightly and glaring again.

"Well, I hope you don't hold a grudge."

Unfortunately for him, she was rather good at holding grudges,

"I was just following the boss's orders. 'Test them by trying to kill them.' Didn't expect you to figure me out so fast," he explained, shrugging. "Well, the three of you together should be able to escape the mansion."

This was taking longer than she'd expected. Now they were using these tasteless tactics as well. A dull pain formed in the back of her head, the call of a headache about to start.

"I suppose that was meant as a diversion." Though, if there was a plant, it'd probably be Fuschia over there. "I shall determine if there's another spy among us."

She lifted her arm and opened her previously fisted hand, the dowsing chain hung loosely from her ring finger. She whirled around and held it out in front of each of the suspects. Pompadour was fine, as was the woman. Which left Fuschia.

The chain swung.

"You are the plant."

After that, the man obviously tried to deny it, but alas, Pompadour proved himself useful with a strangely poetic Hatsu that could set people on fire if they lied. Still, Fuschia refused to tell them what his Hatsu was. Which led to the other woman revealing her power, which Kurapika later tried to banish from her mind.

And people always told her she was the scariest woman they knew.

"Are you going to tell us your name?" Basho asked as the four of them walked out of the mansion.

"No."

Perhaps, they had a point too.

. . . Flashback Training Time . . .

She was sure she'd sensed a powerful nen master somewhere in this vicinity.

"Bahari," she called. They were obviously in zetsu. The trail had gone cold minutes ago. In which case, she'd have to use Bahari to sniff them out. The lion crouched down as if it was stalking its prey, a low growl in his throat. It took him around eight minutes to find who they were looking for.

Kurapika ran a hand through his mane and crouched down.

"You sure?" she whispered, and the lion nodded. Kurapika's eyes fixed on the middle-aged woman, and then she took off, circling around to come up behind her. The woman hadn't noticed her either. Her attention was completely hogged by the magnificent beast on the other side of the trees.

Kurapika cleared her throat, and the woman's head whipped around to face her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" the woman asked, suspiciously, black curls falling haphazardly down her face and shoulders. Green eyes gazed at her threateningly.

"I'm a Hunter and I'm looking for a nen teacher who can help me reach my goals," Kurapika said, placing her hands on her hips, a large smile on her pretty face. Kindness first.

"Forget it," the woman replied, almost mockingly. "I'm not gonna teach some amateur the ways of nen."

And if needed, force second. Kurapika's friendly face dissipated into an icy, unimpressed stare.

"Let me rephrase that," she offered, and if winter had a voice, it would be hers. "I am a Blacklist Hunter and you will be the nen teacher who helps me develop a hatsu to reach my goals."

"Or what?" the woman asked, laughing.

"I'll let Bahari decide," Kurapika muttered, smiling darkly as the lion sneaked up on the older woman.

The woman yelped and quickly hid behind the blonde, as the lion drew closer and bared its teeth. "Alright, alright! Just call the crazy thing off!"

Kurapika smiled triumphantly. That lion might be of use after all. She'd thought it might be inconvenient to have it follow her around everywhere, but as it turns out, even the bravest of men cower at the feet of an adult lion.

"Well done, Bahari."

. . . Back to KilluGon . . .

"I can't believe we already lost so much money," Gon sighed, as the two of them sat down in a small cafe. She slurped her smoothie, a bit disappointed. "I told you not to go on those risky sites."

"I couldn't help it," Killua defended, crossing his arms over his chest. He wore a red tank top today, and these weird things that looked like leg warmers but he wore them on his arms so they couldn't leg warmers. Gon decided he looked really nice today, despite the leg-arm warmers. "Only the risky sites are profitable."

They both sighed, despondently.

"This isn't working," Gon muttered.

 **. . .**

 **Next On Lions!:**

 **Neon takes people shopping.**

 **Question of the Day: What do you most want to happen in this story?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Me? Take a break? Pfft, nah. You're welcome. I do enjoy proving people wrong. Yeah, Chrollo, stop pretending you wouldn't jump off a bridge if she asked you to. He really does care too much. We might see that in the next couple chapters. I think you're onto something when you say that Chrollo somehow persuaded them to check on Kurapika. It sounds very Chrollo-like. That lion is the same lion from the end of chapter 36 of NAPP! I really didn't plan on having him here, but after a while, I figured it was too good a chance to pass up. And Komugi is here, so of course, you can expect Meruem. Not yet though. Meruem comes much, much later. Like Chimera Ant Arc later(which I'm gonna cut down a lot because I am not re-watching all of that.) Anyway, thanks so much for coming back to follow the sequel. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing. It really means sooooooooooooooooo much to read your reviews. BTW, hope college is treating you better : )**

 **MedusaLegend: Isn't Komugi cute? She's so pure and good. No wonder she won Meruem over in the anime. Kurapika didn't choose the lion, the lion chose her. No, really. It followed her around and she figured he might be useful. And yes, she will give the Phantom Troupe a ton of trouble, because they can't kill her but she wants to kill all of them. What's a group of murdering thieves to do? Thanks for reviewing. It means so much to me, you have no idea how much! I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **guest: I swear, by the end of this trilogy, half the cast is going to be under Mamapika's care. And then there's Bahari who is practically the babysitter at this point. Three years? More like two months. I'm not that cruel to Chrollo. Yeah, Kurapika has a way of taming wild things. Chrollo, Bahari, maybe the Phantom Troupe. She's just got that mother-to-all thing to her. Ohohoho, I don't know, should you worry about Kura's Emperor Time? *Evil Grin* Oh, YorkNew is gonna happen. Just . . . not in the way we're all expecting. Phinks is awesome, no? So loyal. So fanboyish. So, so supportive of his Danchou's relationship with the devil woman. Aw, thank you! I try, I do. Writing is my passion, even though it can be a bit of a pain sometimes. Reviews like yours always give me the motivation to write again. So thanks for reviewing, AwesomeTheoryGuest. I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Hi, again. I hope you liked this chapter. If you would be so kind as to review, follow, and favorite, that would be much appreciated. My name is Chocoholic221B and I'll see you next time on Lions!**


	3. Of Older Brothers and Shopping Trips

**Disclaimer: Don't own HxH.**

 **(A/N: It took me a little longer to finish this one. It's because of school coming in a few weeks. Don't worry though. I'm not going to simply disappear because school comes. I'll probably go back to my usual schedule of posting every week or so. It takes me a few hours to write a chapter, so it should be fine.)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 3:**

 **Of Older Brothers and Shopping Trips**

They were all hired in the end, unfortunately. She couldn't say she was looking forward to working with these amateurs. Nevermind the fact that she was probably the least experienced of the group. Their first job would be the underground auction, where the Spider would undoubtedly strike next. Not to mention, the Scarlet Eyes were going to be sold off there as well.

"I'll take you to the boss now," Dalzollene announced, as he opened the door and let some light stream in. The four of them followed him to Neon's bedroom. The familiar blue-haired girl instantly brightened when they arrived, but she showed no signs of meeting Kurapika beforehand. She didn't want them thinking that Kurapika had received her help in the interview.

"Hello, everyone," Neon said, smiling as if she'd just reunited with some long-lost friends. "It's nice to meet you."

Clever girl.

Kurapika displayed the same silent shock of the other bodyguards as they stared at the young girl. She certainly hadn't expected her to be the actual boss in the end. Did that mean she was the one who collected body parts, then? Kurapika blamed the parents. Neon was such a sweet girl. There was no way she was simply born with her fixation. No, it was made.

"Neon, I'm home," a deep, strangely familiar accented voice announced happily as footsteps approached the door. They all turned to face the stranger, and this time, Kurapika didn't have to feign her surprise.

"Nico!" Neon squealed excitedly, jumping up and falling into his embrace. The man laughed lightly, wrapping his arms around her and placing his chin on the top of her head. One of his hands went up to stroke her matching blue hair.

It was that guy. The one who hit on her the day of the interview. Who was he? Going by the similar coloring, Kurapika could easily make the assumption that he was a relative. A brother, maybe, or a cousin.

Neon stepped back, gesturing to the man in introduction. "Everyone, this is my older brother, Nico. He's the real heir to daddy's business, though he's almost never here. He grew up in Londres which is why he's got an accent."

Nico continued to smile, and Kurapika couldn't believe how similar it was to Neon's. His eyes stopped on the blonde, their eyes met, and Kurapika could practically see the curiosity in them. Dammit, she couldn't simply beat him up like the rest if he tried something. The man turned completely towards her, a gentle smile still on his face. He walked over to her, kissed her hand, and started speaking, eyes still gazing up at her.

"I'm sorry if my behavior earlier this month caused you any discomfort. Believe me when I say I was simply trying to be courteous."

Slap!

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Kurapika said, smiling sweetly, though her eyes burned. Kurtas liked to keep their personal bubble well protected. He didn't fool her for a second. There was clear desire in his actions, his movements. She might not be able to hospitalize him, but a few accidents wouldn't land her in the unemployment office.

In the background, Neon snickered mischievously, before coming up and linking arms with Kurapika.

"I like you," she said, still putting on the I've-never-seen-this-girl-in-my-life act. "Though the same can't be said for your clothes."

"My clothes?"

Neon nodded. "Nico can take us. He'll also be paying, of course."

Was that a hint of vengefulness Kurapika detected?

. . . A few hours later . . .

"No," Kurapika said, voice cold and face void of emotion. Her eyes were fixed on the vivid, red dress, trying with all their might to set it on fire. At least it was long and flowing at the ends, but the cleavage certainly left less to the imagination than Kurapika was used to and the back of the dress dipped all the way to her mid-back. All in all, Kurapika would rather join the rest of her clanmates in heaven than wear that monstrosity.

"C'mon, please?" Neon pleaded, big blue eyes wide and insistent. Unfortunately for her, Kurapika had spent an entire year in the company of Gon.

"No."

Neon pouted, but then her hands reached out, pressed against Kurapika's abdomen and pushed, sending her back into her cage and tossing the dress along with her. The door slammed shut and Kurapika felt just a little bit intimidated of the shorter, younger, altogether-harmless girl.

"I'm not letting you leave 'till you put it on," her voice perforated the wood.

Kurapika massaged her abdomen. For such a slight girl, she was surprisingly strong. The blonde's eyes fell back on the object of all her troubles: The dreaded red dress. Reluctant hands reached for the silky, soft fabric. The hem of the dress was covered with crystals that licked up in a motion similar to fire. Beautifully done, this was undoubtedly the work of a genius. Slender, pale fingers gripped the tag at the waist.

 _Cordelia's dresses - Handmade, homemade, custom-made._

Kurapika concentrated her nen on her eyes, and sure enough, the dress was shrouded in an aura of passion. The blonde couldn't help but feel some respect for someone who had such talent and dedication to create something like this, no matter how revealing and risque it was. Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip, as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

It would be disrespectful to the owner if she simply turned her nose up at it.

Kurapika sighed heavily, despondently resigning to her fate. She slipped off her tribal attire and slipped into the dreaded red dress. It fit perfectly, of course, even though the neckline dipped far below the actual neck. The red fabric fanned out against the floor, and even in the terrible lighting of the dressing room, it looked like a flame.

Neon nearly fainted when she walked out, and Kurapika rolled her eyes fondly. The younger girl's crush was rather endearing in her opinion, though she felt a bit bad that she hadn't brought it up yet. The girl deserved some closure. Unfortunately, Kurapika wasn't too good at giving others the gentle type of let-down that Neon deserved. She was more used to glaring and scaring them away. None of Kurapika's suitors had ever doubled as valued friends. Except for Chrollo, but his feelings were actually reciprocated.

"You look wonderful, Miss," a feminine, almost motherly voice spoke to her, as Basho and Baise tended to the unconscious Neon. Kurapika, who was still wearing the dreaded red dress, faced the taller woman.

She was older than her by a few years, Kurapika guessed anywhere from her mid to late twenties. Her eyes were brown, duller and darker than Kurapika's natural eye color. The purple suit revealed a little too much of her cleavage and stopped at her mid-thigh. Her most prominent feature would be her rather large, aquiline nose. Despite that, she was still quite pretty, and somehow motherly despite her revealing attire.

"Thank you," Kurapika finally answered, suspicion still crouching in her like a lion ready to pounce at any second. After all, most strangers wouldn't go out of their way to speak with anyone, no matter how good-looking the other person was.

The woman smiled. "No need to be so on guard. My name is Paku. I'm another one of Danchou's friends."

Again? And no, Kurapika was certainly not holding back a smile.

"Should I be expecting more of you?" the younger blonde asked. "I can't see why he keeps sending you to me."

"He's not," Paku answered. "Not really, anyway. It's pretty obvious he wants to check up on you himself, but at the moment his work is rather demanding. We need him back at Headquarters right now."

"I see," Kurapika said, not quite sure how she felt about any of that. Bright, black eyes focused on the ground below, the gray and white tiled floor. It was chipped here and there, in clear need of repair, but well-kept otherwise.

"Don't worry. He's all yours again after this project," Paku said, ruffling up her hair. "You really are as cute as everyone's been saying."

Cute?! She was a ruthless avenger, not a beagle! She was certainly not cute.

"I'm sure if Danchou was here, that dress would've already come off," Paku added, a sly smirk on her face.

"Excuse me?" Kurapika finally whispered, hardly believing what had come out of the woman's mouth. She did not need that mental image.

"He really does care for you," Paku continued, face turning serious, eyes boring into hers. "I want you to remember that."

"Okay?"

A smile spread across her face, and this time there was mirth in her voice. "I never thought I'd see the day Danchou actually fell so hard for someone. I'm glad he found you. Though, it would help if he stopped being so moody all the time. Call him, or something, okay? I'm sure just a word from you would suffice."

And then, the woman walked out of the dressing room. Kurapika turned back to her colleagues, who were still trying to wake up Neon. The blonde shook her head of any lingering, unnecessary thoughts of Chrollo and waltzed over to help them.

. . .

" _Call him, or something, okay?"_

No, not okay. Kurapika had promised herself she wouldn't make any contact with anyone from her past, especially not Chrollo. She had a path now, and they would only prove to be weaknesses and distractions in the end.

Her hand tightened around her phone.

Well, it wasn't like she could simply ignore him. He kept sending his subordinates to check on her. In a way, he had never really left. Wouldn't it make sense to tell him to keep his cronies under control?

A text. A text wouldn't hurt. She wouldn't hear his voice or see his face, or anything that could tempt her to fall back into his arms and never leave. But, with shaking hands, she realized his words would be enough. A reply, a sign that he was really still there for her.

And with that conclusion, pale hands placed the phone back on the coffee table. She felt something furry nuzzle her cheek, and she wrapped her arms around its neck, stroking its mane.

"Thanks, Bahari," she murmured. The lion nodded subtly.

She didn't need anyone when revenge was the only thing she was living for. They didn't need someone who was only living for revenge. This was a darkness that she would face alone.

With Bahari, of course, but Bahari was a lion. He didn't count.

"Miss Kurapika?"

And Komugi, but Komugi had almost nothing to do with her at this point. She was just a lovable roommate that really needed her help. She couldn't just let her fend for herself in YorkNew of all places.

So, in essence, she was facing this alone.

. . .

"Did you get what I sent you?" his second-in-command asked, sitting down next to him on the makeshift chair.

Chrollo nodded. "Her boss forced her to wear that, didn't she?"

"Pushed her into the dressing room and everything. She looked beautiful, wouldn't you agree?"

"She looked uncomfortable," Chrollo amended, closing the book in his hands. "But I'd be lying if I said she didn't look beautiful as well."

"Wishing you were there, hmm?"

"Naturally," he sighed, pouting slightly. The tall woman laughed. Pakunoda was easily the closest to their Danchou, and not just because she was his second. The slender blonde had been the older sibling Chrollo could never find in Roro ever since they met over twenty years ago. She was the first person he truly considered family.

"Ah, Franklin and Nobu are fighting again," Pakunoda noted, looking at the monster of a man lunging at the hot-tempered samurai.

"Let them," Chrollo said, returning to his book, "neither are serious about it, anyway. Call it brotherly love."

"Men are so strange."

"Aren't we just?"

They both sighed simultaneously, despondent.

"By the way, I checked her. She loves you. Deep, deep down under all those layers of guardedness, hatred, vengeance, and general numbness," Paku reassured, patting him on the back encouragingly.

"Why thank you, Paku," Chrollo answered with mock gratefulness. "That's just what I needed to hear."

"That's what I'm here for, Danchou," she said, sophistication and professionalism dripping from every word. "Please tell me you didn't let Shizuku drink. She's such a light weight, and I'm not dealing with her hangover when she wakes up."

"Of course not, I gave her some non-alcoholic champagne. Not that she knows," Chrollo said, pouring her a glass of wine.

"Thank God. So, what's the occasion? You never let us drink, _mother_ ," Pakunoda added mockingly, earning a chuckle from Chrollo.

"I thought you could all use some time off before we go all out at the auction next week. I'd also prefer they all be under supervision while they drink themselves silly. They could get into trouble otherwise," Chrollo reasoned, swirling around his own glass.

"You really are like their mother," Pakunoda laughed, taking a sip of the wine, expensive, probably stolen. "I wonder what you'll be like if you ever have any children."

If he was a lesser man, Chrollo would've probably spat out his drink or choked on it, instead he swallowed and said, almost bitterly, "I doubt I'll ever have children."

"What? You don't want to have kids someday?" Pakunoda asked, a bit surprised. She's always taken Chrollo as the type who would want kids but never had any because he either hadn't found the right person or didn't want to bring them up while he was a thief.

"That's not it. I just doubt the fatherly role is really up my alley. I never really had a father figure in my life. Other than Roro, and we both know how that turned out," he said, giving his glass another swirl.

"I always thought you had the father role down. I mean, you're already keeping track of eleven children," Pakunoda said, gesturing to the other Spiders. She, of course, was not included in the list of Chrollo's pseudo-kids.

"Shalnark, you keep that away from Shizuku," Chrollo warned. Shalnark yelled something back. "I don't care how much she begs. If she gets drunk, you will be the one dealing with the consequences."

Pakunoda chuckled to herself again, taking another swig of the alcoholic beverage in her glass. "Not up your alley, eh?" He certainly had the nagging part down.

 **~ Next on NAPP ~**

 **The days leading up to the auction. Day 1 of seven.**

 **Question of the Day: How's Chrollo the mom/dad doing?**

 **(A/N: Why do I keep putting Chrollo and Kurapika in situations where they have to talk about possible future children? I dunno, I just think that they both have experience in their parenting roles. Chrollo with his Spiders. Kurapika with practically everyone she meets. It's just fun putting them in situations where they have to think about such normal things.)**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Boss Kurapika is back at it again. And her resolve to ignore everyone she once cared for is stronger than ever. I know, Bahari is the most supportive lion in the world. And he's not going away. Back when Kurapika first came to YorkNew, she found her new nen teacher in the forest. Her new Nen teacher taught her how to come up with a powerful enough Hatsu to beat the Spiders. I wish I had a photographic memory so I wouldn't have to pause. Mind palaces! Sherlock! I love Sherlock! Neon actually did faint in this chapter. You're welcome. Gravity-defying hair styles? You could probably get them with enough hair gel. You could ask Chrollo for some. There you go, Kurapika getting loved advice from Pakunoda. I'm glad college is getting easier for you. Best of luck in your future endeavors : ) As usual, thanks for reviewing. It means so much to me! And I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **guest: I'm glad I got the lesson across. Kurapika has always been the master of sarcasm, especially around Leorio. Not so random now, is he? The random stranger hitting on Kurapika ended up being her boss' older brother. How will she ever get rid of him? Agreed, that time skip would've been far too hard on our beloved lover boy. He's already visibly sour in front of his spiders. And he's not depressed! He's . . . um . . . introspective? Okay, he's a little depressed. He's still the best Mama Spider ever. Passive Aggressive Neon does sound fun! Does her making Nico pay for all her many shopping trips passive aggressive enough? For Phinks, she's a devil woman. For Feitan, she's Danchou's woman. For Pakunoda, she's like a little sister/daughter (or at least she will be). I shall write an actual thing for your clown scenario 'cuz why not.**

" **Danchou ~," the magician purred as he inched closer to his target, keeping his gift hidden behind his back. His gift which was wrapped in colorful, rainbow wrapping paper, complete with a big, red bow.**

" **Hisoka," Chrollo replied, emotionless as his eyes darted from one side of the page to the other. The clown felt a delicious shiver climb up his spine at the clear disinterest in his eyes.**

 **"I heard someone was going through a bad breakup with his little girlfriend," Hisoka said, pouting slightly as if trying to recreate Chrollo's current expression. The man still didn't look up. The clown cleared his throat. "So, I brought you a little present to make you feel better."**

 **The magician finally unveiled the package, but before either of them could move another inch, the present was ripped out of his hands by a suspicious Machi. The beautiful, pink-haired woman tore off the wrapping paper, and Hisoka couldn't help but admire her hands. They'd look even more clutching . . . oh dear, he was getting excited again.**

 **"What. Is. This?" Machi asked, shoving the cover in his face. The picture of two people caught in rather compromising positions stamped on it. The anger radiating off her was almost tangible. How wonderful!**

 **"It's my get-well-soon present to Danchou," Hisoka said, innocently, placing his hands behind his back.**

 **"Danchou has no interest in such vulgar things," Machi hissed, eyes narrowed into a delicious glare.**

 **"Breakups do strange things to a man's psyche," Hisoka reasoned, placing a hand on his chest to show his sincerity. "Think about how sexually frustrated he must be right now, without his little blonde to have and to hold."**

 **"Machi," Chrollo spoke for the first time since they started this little banter.**

 **"Yes, Danchou?" she replied, every bit the good, little, gorgeous soldier she always was.**

 **"Burn it."**

 **"Yes, Danchou."**

 **Thanks for reviewing as usual. I hope you liked this chapter and the little drabble!**

 **MedusaLegend: Hi, again! It's nice to see you back here. Sorry, there isn't much KuroKura. They'll come in later. Here, have an imaginary lion as compensation. Poor Neon. She doesn't mind that much anymore. Having Kurapika protect her is enough.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: I hoped you liked this chapter. If you would be so kind, please review, favorite, and follow. Thank you for supporting this series thus far! Chocoholic221B out!**


	4. Of Day Ones and Countdowns

**Disclaimer: I don't own HxH**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Of Day Ones and Countdowns**

"There's leftovers in the fridge. I made some sandwich wraps for lunch," Kurapika reminded, buttoning up the last few buttons of her suit jacket. "If anything goes wrong, just call me okay? Just how I taught you. Oh! And remember to never open the door for strangers. Anyone who should be here has a key."

"Yes, Miss Kurapika!" Komugi saluted the other girl, snot dripping from her nose. The blonde took the tissue box of the table.

She placed one of the tissues in one fragile hand and the box in the other. "Blow your nose, Komugi. It's not healthy to go around with it all stuffed like that."

"Yes, Miss Kurapika!"

"Bahari, keep Komugi company again for me, okay?" she asked, petting his thick mane, as she got ready to leave. The lion nodded, before putting his snout to her back and pushing her out the door as usual.

Kurapika tightened the black tie around her neck, straightening it out a bit nervously. She had never really worn a suit before. It felt rather strange.

"Kurapika!" Basho screamed as she walked into the room. He ran up to her, much like a towering child running over to his mother. "She got Baise!"

"Explain," Kurapika ordered as she walked further down the corridor. Just as Neon's bedroom came into view, a stuffed toy rabbit came flying at the blonde. She caught it with ease. "Nevermind. I think I understand."

Basho stopped a few meters away from the doorway, seemingly in no mood to walk back into the tantrum zone. Kurapika knocked on the already opened door out of courtesy. The furious Neon whipped her head around to yell, but then she froze, her eyes widened, and her face grew red.

"Kurapika," she whispered, taking the fluffy, pink pillow she had been ready to throw and hiding half her reddening face behind it.

Kurapika smiled, and Neon's face reddened. "How are you today, Neon?"

. . .

She was wearing a suit! And she looked way better than in any of Neon's wildest dreams! The dark fabric clinging to her figure. It was no revealing red dress made by the devil, but it had its own merits. Her blonde hair looked so good against the black clothes.

That was right. Light and dark always looked good together. Just like Kurapika and Mr. Lucilfer.

But she wasn't with Mr. Lucilfer right now! Kurapika had chosen to come work for her of all people! That had to count for something!?

"I - I'm fine," she stuttered, flattening out the pillow on her lap and averting her eyes in shame. Kurapika had heard her earlier outburst. She probably thought she was a complete idiot. Just when she was starting to make some progress.

Kurapika smiled anyway, composed and perfect as usual. "Are you sure? We could talk about it if you want?"

Neon shook her head fervently.

"No. I couldn't impose on you. I mean, you must be really busy already. You're just my bodyguard. You don't have to do any more than you already have."

Kurapika's hand took hold of her own, and Neon was sure her heart was about to burst. The blonde gave her another, firmer, smile. "Neon, it's true that we have to protect you and make sure nothing brings you harm physically, but your mental stability is part of our job too."

"I-it is?" she stuttered again, not sure whether to feel relief that Kurapika seemed so understanding or embarrassment because she made a fool of herself once more.

Kurapika nodded, golden locks bouncing almost playfully with the motion. "So, tell me what's wrong."

Neon frowned and hugged her pillow once more.

"Daddy isn't letting me go to the auction next week," she finally whined, pouting grumpily. She didn't care if she looked like an idiot. That auction was all she had been looking forward to these past few months. That and Kurapika's arrival.

"I see," Kurapika sighed. "I'm afraid that was my idea."

Neon's head snapped up at that revelation. "What? Why?"

"It's quite simple, really. My job is to protect you. We've been notified that there might be an attack on the auction, so I figured it would be best to keep you out of the crossfire. Your father called yesterday, and I asked him if I could keep you here with me on the night of the auction."

"W-with you?"

Kurapika nodded, "I assumed you might want some company."

It was a date. It was a date. _It was a date._

"But," Kurapika continued, "if you feel so strongly about this, then . . ."

"No, no, nonono. I don't feel that strongly about anything!" _Except, maybe you._

The blonde smiled, looking relieved and relaxed and Neon couldn't help feeling a little bit proud of her ability to rid the other girl of her nerves. "I see. That's good. Do you have anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Ah . . . no, not right now," Neon responded quietly. She was still getting used to the idea that she and Kurapika would practically be going on a date.

The blonde smiled again and Neon melted a little. And then, the warmth encircling her hand disappeared, but a soft tingling sensation lingered. Sparks? These were the sparks everyone talked about, right?

"I'll be going now," Kurapika informed from the doorway. "If you need anything, I'm probably not too far. Just call my name, okay?"

Neon nodded, face still burning.

And the door closed, and her face still burned. She collapsed onto her back, hitting the soft, custom-made mattress.

"I'm so pathetic," she murmured, placing an arm over her eyes, but all she saw was a smiling blonde.

"Um, Miss?" Eliza asked. "Where would you like us to put these new things your father bought you?"

"I don't know. Somewhere in the dark corners of my despair."

"Dark corners . . . how about I put them with the other things?"

"Do what you want."

. . .

"There was no phone call, was there?" a suave, accented voice asked. The blonde barely turned towards him, giving him one annoyed glance over her shoulder before walking away.

Kurapika continued to ignore him, even as he swiftly caught up with her.

"I didn't take you for a person who would lie so easily," he continued. "Despite your cold exterior, I figured you were soft underneath all those layers."

What should she make for dinner tonight? Some sort of pasta would be good. Or perhaps they could order takeout? No, no takeout. Who knew what they put in that restaurant food.

"Are you listening to me?"

"No."

"You're not as nice as you seem, are you?"

"No." And if you thought she seemed nice, you best get your messed up vision checked.

The man went silent, finally. Now she could focus on what was truly important. What should she make for dinner? Her shift ended at six today. Maybe they could go to a healthy takeout place? Were there any healthy fast food restaurants? Oh dear, if this was what being a mother was like, she might have to rethink that part of her plans.

"Would you like to go out sometime?"

"No."

"Understood. I'll ask you again when you're not so busy," Nico said. Did this man _want_ to be slapped again? "By the way, I'd like you to stop leading my sister on like that."

Kurapika's steps halted. "Excuse me?"

"You've clearly noticed she's fallen for you. I don't know how that happened, but I want you to stop acting like you could ever return her feelings." Nico gave her a stern look. For once, he seemed serious. So, he wasn't a complete idiot. There were some redeeming traits to him.

The blonde crossed her arms. "Don't worry. I have no intention of leading her to believe such a thing. However, she is my friend and I am her bodyguard. When it comes down to it, if I have to use my position as her crush to my advantage to protect her, I will."

"You're a cruel woman."

"It's my job. Nothing more." She turned to leave again. "But . . . I'll try to avoid lying to her again. You were right, I'm not one to lie. I find it a distasteful method, but it's also, unfortunately, the most effective at times. If I'm forced to stretch the truth a bit, I have no qualms about it."

. . .

"What happened to you?" Kurapika asked the pink-haired woman. Baise was currently sporting a rather ugly bruise on the side of her head. The woman grimaced, placing the ice pack closer to the wound.

"She threw a music box at me," she mumbled. The other woman suddenly pointed accusingly at Kurapika. "How'd you get out unscathed?"

The blonde shrugged. "I listened to her. What did you do to make her so mad?"

"Nothing!" Baise defended. "She was like that when I walked in, I swear! She didn't even let me get a word in. Talk about favoritism."

Basho suddenly entered the room. "I am never looking after a teenage girl again," he sighed, collapsing into one of the sofas in the lounge.

"Too bad your contract isn't terminated until the end of next year," Squala said. "Until then, you're practically their property. The way of the mafia."

Basho made a face at that. He probably didn't like the thought of being owned by anybody. None of them did. Kurapika most of all, but this was for her clanmates. She needed to retrieve their eyes and return them to the village to be buried along with their bodies. They wouldn't rest in peace otherwise.

"Oi, Kurapika!" Basho's voice finally reached her. "Do you want anything to eat. We're ordering lunch."

The younger bodyguard shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

"Ya sure? Growing kid like you needs to eat," the man continued, worriedly. "You're already too thin."

Baise hit him on the head with her ice pack.

"Ow. What?"

"You should never comment on someone else's weight!" she scolded. This somehow sparked an argument between the two, one which Kurapika had no interest in joining.

The door suddenly slammed open, and a furious Dalzollene walked in. "What is going on here?!"

"Basho commented on my weight, and Baise told him it's discourteous to talk about someone's body in front of them. Basho retorted by saying that it was true and that I was a 'tough girl who could take a small comment like that'. Baise continued to berate him, saying it wasn't his right to assume things about my figure. It was all rather ridiculous, to be honest," Kurapika said from her lounging position on one of the free sofas. She had a book in one hand and a pen in the other. Kurapika liked recording these sorts of things in both her journal and the mic in her phone. It could prove useful later on.

"See! I told you she didn't care!" Basho said, defensively.

"Eesh, get a room, you two," Tocino joked.

"What?!"

"Ew!"

Kurapika almost felt bad for Basho then. Being perceived as disgusting by your crush must be hard. She couldn't relate.

. . .

"I'm home!" Kurapika called out into the dimly lit suite.

She heard something clatter to the ground and then the sound of Komugi scrambling to reach the door. The little girl kneeled down on the bright-colored rug in front of her and bowed her head.

"Welcome home, M-miss Ku-Kurapika!" she stuttered out.

Kurapika smiled a bit tiredly, before crouching down to the silver-haired girl's height. "I told you not to greet me like this, Komugi. I'm not anyone who deserves such treatment. Understood?"

"Y-yes," Komugi said, clasping her hands together, her bottom lip quivering.

"But I appreciate it anyway," the blonde continued, if only to cheer her up a bit.

As expected, the girl brightened up almost instantly. She was easy to please, something that worried Kurapika more than it probably should. Her life back home must be difficult. Too bad she refused to stay any longer than the Gungi matches continued. How long until the competition ended? Three weeks?

She'd just have to make Komugi write letters to her.

Did she even know how to write? Probably not.

Oh dear, she had a lot more work to do than she had originally thought. She'd have to go to a bookstore and buy some books in braille.

"Komugi, has anyone ever introduced you to the braille system?"

The girl's face contorted in confusion as she shook her head.

But that was the basic building block for sightless people! She needed to have a talk with the leader of the Republic of East Gorteau. Honestly, didn't they have any basic regulations? Komugi was a national Gungi champion. Didn't that count for anything? Stupid, corrupt countries with their stupid, corrupt governments. She'd rise up in the ranks of the Hunter Association and then give them a piece of her mind! A small country like East Gorteau, it'd be an easy conquest in any case. It'd be even easier if she got Netero on her side. No, no, using connections made her no better than those people. No, she'd destroy that government and substitute her own without any outside help! And then she'd make sure no child lives without an education! But first came the Scarlet Eyes and the utter annihilation of the troupe.

Perhaps, she was asking for too much?

"What do you want for dinner?" Kurapika asked, getting up.

Komugi looked down and twiddled her fingers. "I'd like su-sukiyaki?"

"Sukiyaki?" She didn't have any of those ingredients. She'd have to run down to the supermarket and waste more money. No, Komugi would just have to choose something else . . . but she looked so excited about it.

Kurapika's mind suddenly pulled up an image of a traditional looking Japponese restaurant she'd seen just a few days prior.

"Hey, Komugi, what would you say to going to a restaurant tonight instead?"

"A restaurant," she asked, before looking down again. "Okay?"

. . .

"We don't get many customers around here," the older woman said. She was thin and bony, with graying hair and a stern face, clothed in a purple and blue yukata. Her eyes and voice were kind, though. Kurapika instantly took a liking to her.

"I can't see why not. The food is excellent," the blonde complimented.

The woman smiled back appreciatively. "Yes, I suppose that man is good for something."

"Was that a compliment I detect?" a gruff male voice sounded from the kitchen. A man came up to them with a ladle in his hand. He was tall and muscular with a full head of hair still, though it was gray by now. He was also dressed in traditional Japponese clothing, though it was far more casual than the intricate yukata his co-worker wore.

"What are you doing out here?" the woman asked, placing her hands on her hips. "You know you intimidate the customers."

"But I wanted to see you," the man pouted. So, they weren't just co-workers. They were probably married if the rings on their fingers were anything to go by.

The woman sighed, "you can see me quite well through the window. And what did I say about spouting such nonsense in front of customers?"

"I love you," the man suddenly said, eyes warm and gentle with the feelings he so boldly expressed.

The woman softened up at that. She reached out and took his hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I love you, too."

So, this was what love looked like. She recalled the couples in the Kurta Village seemed to have lots of that to spare. Her cousin, Cecilia, and her husband for example. They never seemed to get tired of seeing each other. Kurapika remembered feeling both disgusted and slightly envious of their relationship. Disgusted because she was young and stupid. Envious because she'd already been crushing on someone as well. The innocent puppy love of a ten year old girl. Directed at no other than the strange boy who'd appeared injured and starving in the forest. She hadn't really noticed until he left and his absence gave her some time to think about her feelings.

Why was she thinking of him right now of all times?

"Thinking of someone special, my dear?" the woman asked, sitting down in front of her in a seiza position.

"Well, I . . . no, not really."

The woman smirked. "I know that look. It's the same one I had when I was trying to deny I'd fallen for Takami."

Her husband, Kurapika assumed.

"My friends took a picture just to show me how pathetic I looked," she chuckled. "They nicknamed it the Takami-san no Egao. Oh, that means Takami's smile in my native language. Takami and I were raised in an orphanage. I suppose I loved him ever since we met for the first time." She sighed then, smiling as she recalled a pleasant memory. "He confessed to me before the month was out. I rejected him, of course. We were only twelve back then and I, of course, found all boys irritating creatures of idiocy. He didn't stop though. He continued to be my friend, sporadically confessing every now and then. We shared our first kiss on my eighteenth birthday. I rejected him still, too embarrassed to suddenly tell him I loved him after all those years. In other words, I was far too prideful for my own good. Apparently, that had been all it took for him to give up on me. We went our separate ways. I went on to college, planning to fulfill my dream of becoming a restaurant owner, and he kept on playing music. One day, he happened to stop by."

Was the biography really necessary? At least the story was interesting.

"I ignored him, of course, but he recognized me instantly. He'd looked so handsome, so Takami-like. He took over for the cook, who got sick with some dreadful cold, and his dishes were an instant hit. When the real cook came back, I told him he could leave, since I couldn't just take away the poor man's job. He refused, offering to be an assistant cook was happy to have a helping hand. One night, I got sick with a high fever. He forced me to go home and watched over the restaurant for me. That was when I realized that I still loved him. It took me a little under a week to confess. He took a little too long to respond, but then he accepted me. It only took us twenty years."

Kurapika's eyes widened at the impressive number.

"What I mean to say," the woman cleared her throat, "is that it's okay to take your time, but when you realize that what you really want is to be with that person forever, everything will become clear."

Why was everyone lecturing her about love as if they knew something? She already knew she wanted to be with Chrollo. It was just that she put her goals before her wants. Was that so wrong?

"You're getting there," the woman nodded, apparently satisfied by her reaction.

The blonde popped some of the noodles in her mouth. "I hope not."

"What was that?"

"Ah, nothing! I hope so. These feelings aren't very convenient to carry around everywhere."

They suddenly heard sniffling from beside Kurapika. Tears trailed down Komugi's face.

"That was so beautiful!" Komugi wailed, bursting into more tears.

Oh dear, Kurapika had completely forgotten she was there too. Hopefully, she wouldn't ask too many questions.

. . .

 **Next on Lions:**

 **Day 2. More Spiders.**

 **(A/N: Who woulda thought? Kurapika has been crushing on Chrollo since she was, like, ten. Compared to him falling for her when she was already eighteen, Kurapika's love has been around for longer.)**

 **Question of the Day: Was that love story too cliched?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Mama Chrollo and Mamapika. A match made in heaven! Yup, Nico and Neon are both chasing her now. Honestly, even Neon has a better shot at Kura's heart than her brother. Neon is definitely Kurapika's favorite Nostrade. And Chrollo really should just come to her himself and sneak in a few kisses. I'm sure Kurapika would be more than happy to oblige. Poor Kurapika in the compromising dress. Why must she suffer so? Because of the authoress, probably. I'm so mean. Don't worry, happiness will come eventually. I think. And about the dress holding Nen. I believe that's how KilluGon found out about which artifacts to choose in the Yorknew city Arc right before they met Zepile. I figured if the dresses were handmade, the same could apply. Of course, Chrollo is the mom. Paku's the cool older sibling, all composed and calm but secretly the most caring out of all of them. You could ask both Chrollo and Hisoka for their hair gel and compare the two. And no can do, Kurapika and Chrollo are going to have to remain separate for now, as much as it pains them. They really want to be together. Even my writing senses want them to be together, but the plot demands their suffering. For now, watch them pine for the other. Here's a bit of Kurapika's perspective on things. Someone who hates Sherlock other than Donovan? Oh dear, even Moriarty seemed to be in love with him to some extent. That's too hard. Ima skip. Thanks for reviewing and I hoped you liked this chapter.**

 **Guest: Who says Danchou the Mom can't be awesome? Nobody. OMG, someone should make that kindergarten AU, and then Kurapika brings Gon and Killua for him to take care of! That'd be so adorable. Chrollo holding a baby? Not yet, young grasshopper. Patience is a virtue. More normal things for Kurokura! Nico's goin' down, and Neon is a ruthless young woman. Kurapika is very proud. She probably did have a nosebleed. I needed to preserve her pride in some way. She's wearing a suit here! Purely for professional reasons, of course *shifty eyes*. Yes, supportive Paku is everything. She's like the best wing-woman ever. Always knows just what to say. She's already planning for Chrollo and Kurapika's kids. She's gonna be Auntie Paku just like she's always dreamed of being. You're welcome for the drabble! I'm so glad you liked it. Machi is a true soldier, completely loyal to her Danchou, come what may. Pervert clowns stay away! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **MedusaLegend: You've got a point. That's why dear Danchou needs his beloved Kurapika by his side. His kids ain't gonna be murderers on her watch! Hohoho, already noticed that did you? You will have to wait to see her reaction to the wanted posters. If there are any wanted posters this time. The plot thickens! Okay, so I don't really have that part figured out yet. I still have seven chapters before the auction! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, favorite, and follow. Alright, time to sleep.**


	5. Of Day Twos and Countdowns

**Disclaimer: I don't own HxH**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 5:**

 **Of Day Twos and Countdowns**

"Danchou!" Phinks shouted, running up to the younger man.

His Danchou gave him his standard I'm-listening-now-talk look.

"You can't send freaking Uvogin to the Devil Woman!" he exclaimed. The blond man looked ready to go into a panic attack.

Chrollo shrugged, "he volunteered. I don't see why not."

"He sticks out too much. Plus, he's easily the most bloodthirsty out of all of us. I don't think it's a good idea." That woman would surely beat him into a bloody pulp before the day was out. Or worse, what if Uvo spilled the beans on the Spider? What if he decided he wanted to fight the devil woman? One of them would die, and Danchou would be pissed either way. Gah! Too much stress!

"Would you prefer to go instead?"

"No! I mean, not because I'm scared, I'm not! It's just . . ."

"He's scared," Shalnark said, cheerfully. "I could go with Uvo if that'd make you feel better, Phinks."

The man made a face as if he was trying to rein in his anger. "It doesn't!"

"That'll be fine," Chrollo said. "It's true Uvo's the most impulsive out of all of us. It might be risky to send him alone. So, I'll send Shalnark with him."

"Can't you just not send him at all?"

Chrollo shook his head. "He volunteered. It would be unfair of me to say he's not allowed to meet her as well."

That was Danchou for you. Always about the fairness.

"You can take Kortopi as well."

"'Kay, Danchou!" Shalnark chirped. Phinks pouted. He'd been defeated again. Hopefully, they wouldn't regret this later on.

. . .

Kurapika sighed. Her lunch breaks were too short for a job like this.

"Why the long face?" a gruff, strong voice asked cheerfully. She had been ready to ignore the annoying owner of said voice until she looked in the mirror of the coffee shop she was in.

The hell? The guy was eight feet tall, at least. With spiky gray hair and tanned skin. A wide grin was plastered on his face.

Kurapika couldn't help but ask, "who are you?"

He laughed, and she wasn't sure why. Was he one of those people who laughed for no reason? Maybe, he had Tourette Syndrome? Tumors in the brain can also cause people to laugh uncontrollably.

"I'm another friend of your boyfriend!"

"Boyfrie-oh, you mean Chrollo," Kurapika realized. Another one? That was two in three days. This one looked particularly annoying.

"Hiya, Kurapika!" Shalnark popped his head out from behind the giant of a man. "'Sup. This here's Uvo. He's kind of loud, so brace yourself now."

Oh good, he sent one of the saner ones this time as well.

"Shalnark," she greeted, failing to keep the relief out of her voice. Another person popped its head out from behind the man. He was probably the same height as an average six-year-old, though Kurapika highly doubted he was actually as young as he seemed. Long, silver hair hid half his face, and he wore strange, blue robes, a stark contrast to the casual clothing the other two wore.

He was kind of cute.

Shalnark followed her gaze and smiled. "Ah, this is Kortopi. He's kind of shy around most people, but he really wanted to come too. Everyone wants to meet Danchou's girlfriend since seeing him care about anybody is a bit of an anomaly. Sorry if we're bothering you."

"No, it's okay." What was she saying?! It was not okay! She had a twenty-minute lunch break! This was the time to stuff her face with as many nutrients as she could, not socialize with strangers!

"Mind if we sit down?" Shalnark asked politely. Kurapika gestured to the open seats.

No! No! No! She did mind.

"So," Uvogin started, sitting down in one of the offered chairs. It creaked under his weight and Kurapika suddenly worried the chair might end up breaking. Thankfully, the chair seemed like a sturdy one. "How'd you and Danchou meet?"

"He offered to take me to Netero on my first day of school," Kurapika said, voice strangely gentle as she remembered that day.

. . . Flashback . . . Why? . . . I dunno

 _"Baa-san, are you bullying the students again?" a baritone voice spoke, slicing through the tense atmosphere like a knife. His clacking footsteps came closer, and soon Kurapika heard him come to a stop next to her. She inclined her head to get a better look at him._

 _He had a bandage wrapped around his head, Kurapika noted. She had to admit he was certainly handsome. Silky, black hair contrasted the pristine, white bandage. His bangs were divided into two halves in a way that oddly suited him. He wore a suit like Leorio, except it was black and the man actually pulled it off. Their eyes met, black on black, and Kurapika couldn't help but feel like they'd met somewhere before._

 _"Why don't you give her a riddle to solve?"_

. . . End of Flashback . . .

She wondered what was going through his head when he recognized her. Had Netero told him beforehand? Probably not. That old man thrived on these sorts of things.

Shalnark laughed, "I remember that. Danchou told me. He sounded really happy. That was probably because of you."

Heat rushed up to her cheeks, but she quickly reined it in.

The blond man laughed again. "It seems it's the same for you."

She shook her head and answered honestly,"I thought he was an asshole the first time we met. It wasn't until Netero made him guard me and I learned more about him that I really started to take a liking to him."

"From enemies to friends to lovers. Classic move," Shalnark said, knowledgeably.

"How do you even know so much about this shit?" Uvogin asked, teasingly.

Shalnark smiled, secretively, "that's for me to know and you to never find out."

"You've been watching those romantic comedies again, haven't you?"

Her phone beeped and her eyes widened instinctively.

"Shit! I'm late!" she yelled, panicky. Kurapika didn't like being late. She quickly gathered her things and readied herself to run out the door.

Shalnark called out to her. "Hey, what about your food?"

"You can have it!"

. . .

Oh, she ached all over. She couldn't believe Neon wanted to refurnish her room all of a sudden. Working overtime was such a bother. It was almost midnight now.

Her stomach growled. Skipping lunch like that had been a bad idea. She'd just have to cook something up when she got home. Shalnark had called and told her he'd already got something ready for Komugi and Bahari. Komugi was probably asleep by now. The blonde didn't want to wake her up while she made herself something. Was she really going to have to order some restaurant food again?

"Kurapika! Kurapika!"

Shalnark?

Sure enough, the blond man caught up to her with some sort of box in his hands. He passed it to her, happily.

"Here!"

It was warm? She opened it to reveal some sort of lasagna. A fork and knife were already neatly tucked into one corner off to the side. Curiously, she picked up the silver fork and dug into the lasagna, before popping it into her mouth. The dish melted in her mouth, improving her mood almost instantly.

"It's delicious," she whispered in amazement. It was hard to believe any of Chrollo's uncouth friends could cook.

"Cooking is Feitan's strong suit, surprisingly. He can cook anything from nothing. It's quite intriguing," Shalnark explained, then his eyes zoomed in on her right hand, or more specifically, her chains. Her hand immediately tensed, as it always did. "Your hatsu?"

"Yes."

"That's interesting. Why'd you choose chains?"

"Because there's something I want to chain down to hell."

"Scary ~," Shalnark laughed, uneasily this time.

Kurapika was about to make a sarcastic remark at that, but the sound of shouting won her over. She was turning the corner before Shalnark could do anything to stop her.

Her steps halted as she took in the sight before her. It was funny how quickly her mood could go from general discontent to searing anger.

"You're pretty weird-looking, ya know that?" one of the men, whom she hoped was drunk and acting under the influence, shouted at a cornered Kortopi. The small man looked up at them, his one revealed eye staring up blankly.

One of the other men picked Kortopi up by the color. "Heh? Why aren't ya saying nothing, little man? Do you know who we are?"

"Maybe he's not human?" one of the men whispered.

"You think he's crazy? I mean, he looks kinda creepy."

Kurapika waltzed over gracefully, anger thinly veiled by a calm facade and started to speak. After all, why beat them up if you could just break them with words?

"You're mistreating a stranger because you don't like the way they look?" she asked, making sure the disgust in her voice was clear.

The man holding Kortopi released him, his attention turning instead to Kurapika, but before he could say anything more or take another step to attack her, the shorter blonde had already knocked him out. She gave the other men a glare, daring them to charge at her.

The two cronies, being drunk, probably unintelligent, and rather intimidated by the scary blonde woman, decided to gang up on her. Kurapika didn't get to beat them up because Shalnark beat her to it.

"Tsk, how inconsiderate," Shalnark said, still smiling. "You okay, Kortopi?"

Kortopi lifted an arm and gave him a thumbs up.

Shalnark turned to Kurapika. "Are you alright, Miss? I wouldn't want Danchou to find out you almost got hurt on my watch."

"I'm fine. These guys wouldn't be able to land a scratch on me," Kurapika reassured, poking one of the drunkards with her foot. "Drunk or sober."

"Thank goodness," Shalnark sighed in relief. "Danchou can be pretty scary when he's angry."

"Agreed." Scary and gorgeous. Shut up, brain.

She felt something pull at the hem of her suit jacket. Black eyes turned town to look at the silver-haired man.

"Yes, Kortopi?"

He raised his hand to reveal a silver pendant.

Kurapika's hand immediately went up to her neck. Had it fallen off when she knocked that man out? Thank God, she hadn't lost it. That necklace was the only thing, other than her earring, she had been brave enough to keep after leaving the Academy.

"Thank you," she said, picking up the fragile looking chain. The small man nodded. The blonde circled the necklace around her neck and clasped it into place.

"Well, it's getting late now," Shalnark announced, placing the box of lasagna back in her hands. "You can finish eating it at home. I hope you don't mind if we escort you home?"

Kurapika shook her head. Shalnark was surprisingly good company, and Kortopi had slowly grown on her in all his silence.

"Great, by the way, have you ever played Mario Cart?"

. . .

"She defended Kortopi and knocked out the son of a prominent mafia lord?" Danchou asked, a smile tugging on his lips.

"In that order, yes," Shalnark said, cheerfully. His Danchou was smiling that Kurapika smile again. It made him look so much younger. As if he was eighteen years old again!

Danchou sighed, "she really is hopeless. Attacking someone like that without considering if he might actually be powerful. That family is particularly vindictive, I believe."

"They're no match for Kurapika!" Shalnark said, eagerly, expression showing he believed that statement with every fiber of his being. "Right, Kortopi?"

Kortopi nodded. "No match. She'd slaughter them."

"Even so," the Spider Head continued, placing a finger to his chin pensively. " If something were to happen to her."

"You worry too much, Danchou," Shalnark scolded. "Miss Kurapika will be fine."

"I suppose," he agreed, reluctantly. "Anyway, let's go through the plan one more time. Are the preparations ready?"

"Yes, Danchou," Shalnark informed. "We've got the blueprints ready. Clean up should take around five to ten minutes. Three if Shizuku is really fast." The blond man continued to list off all the details for their next heist. They were taking everything, and most of the Spiders could barely contain their excitement. He just hoped they would keep the damage to a minimum. Kurapika worked for one of the mafia families attending the auction, after all. If she were to find out . . . Shalnark didn't even want to think about the consequences.

 **. . .**

 **Next on Lions:**

 **Day three. Kurapika vs Mafia people.**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: The real moms of the HxH universe, 'cause the biological parents suck. The club shall be called "Real Moms Unite". Kurapika is obvious all the time. She can't seem to stop thinking about him. Glad you liked the rant on educational systems. Kurapika's gonna change the world one conquered nation at a time. Komugi for #1 sidekick. Her love story is so tragic! It made me cry the first time. It was also the reason I gave HxH a chance. That Beauty & the Beast story won me over instantly. Look at how much those idiots are pining for each other. Man, just call him Kurapika! Let him sweep you off your feet like the good ol' days. Best story ever? I don't know about that, but I'm glad you're liking it. She has loved Chrollo forever. That man has good luck, or bad luck since she's also his sworn enemy. Moriarty Sherlock pairing? You love them villain-protagonist pairings, huh? Thanks for reviewing. It means sooooooooooo much to me. I hope you liked this chapter by the way. I'm sorry Chain Pair moments are so scarce.**

 **MedusaLegend: She's been training to be a mother ever since Gon came into her life. It's just a lot more obvious with Komugi. Neon and Nico can't let Kurapika go. They're both gonna get their hearts broken when Chain Pair gets married. Not that they will. Thank you so much for reviewing. It really means alot to me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **guest: Nico is actually a decent brother in more ways than one. He's probably the only one that wouldn't care if Neon had her power or not. He's protecting her from the horrors of the real world. Kurapika was Neon's favorite before she even walked through the gates to the interview. Vote Kurapika for world leader! She shall rule with Chrollo, and together they will bring about a new age of education for everyone! #KurapikaForWorldLeader. She'll get rid of all your spider problems. That AU idea is gold! I wish someone would write it. It sounds absolutely adorable. And yes, the relationship between those two is a parallel to KuroKura's relationship. It probably won't take twenty years for Kurapika to come around, though. Kurapika in suits is purely for professional reasons, I swear! It's not my fault he/she/they look so awesome in suits. OMG, Kurapika's got me all worried about him in the recent chapters. Someone please protect my precious blond child! At least, he's shown some semblance of concern. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. Your reviews always make me laugh and smile and stuff. I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now, if you would be so kind as to review, favorite, and follow, that would be much appreciated. I'll see you next time on Lions!**


	6. Of Day Threes and Countdowns

**Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 6:**

 **Of Day Threes and Countdowns**

"Kurapika." That voice. That silky, suave baritone. She knew it too well to be fooled into believing it was anyone else. The blonde whirled around to face the familiar man. His black hair hung loose, there was no bandage to cover that cross birthmark he liked to hide so much, and he wore those casual clothes again. A simple, yet form-fitting, black, long-sleeved shirt and black pants. His arms raised, reaching out to her.

In that moment, all rational thought flew out the window, as the pretty blonde threw herself into his embrace. She whispered his name fervently, sounding far too much like a lovesick fool for her liking.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating around his muscular chest. How she'd missed that sound.

A hand reached up to stroke her shoulder-length blonde hair, and she sighed contently at the motion.

"Come back to me?" Chrollo murmured into her hair, before pushing her away a bit and taking her chin. She bit her lip in deliberation, hesitating between her goals and her desires. Going back to Chrollo, starting a different life, one separate from revenge, would be so easy. It would be the safest, surest road for her.

Behind her, the pale faces of her dead comrades gazed at her, empty sockets dripping blood down their cheeks and dripping onto the already bloody floor. Before them, the Scarlet Eyes lay scattered.

Choosing her new friends, choosing Chrollo . . . that would feel too much like betrayal. She couldn't forget about her past, her family, and especially not just because she'd fallen in love. Not just because she'd found new friends.

Her ambitions were the only things she'd lived for all these years. She couldn't just toss them aside.

Revenge. The Scarlet Eyes. The path that led her to her objectives was the only path she would allow herself to walk. Unfortunately, Chrollo, Gon, Killua, Leorio, none of them could take that path alongside her.

"I can't."

. . .

Kurapika rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned.

"What a dream," she murmured. "Now I know going to see Chrollo would be a mistake."

At least, she didn't have to go to work today. Sundays were her days off. What should she do instead? Maybe sleep, or brush up on her reading. She hadn't so much as cracked a book open in the last few days. That fact scared her a bit.

"Miss Kurapika?"

"What is it, Komugi?" she asked, getting up.

"I have my second Gungi match tournament today," the girl said, sheepishly. "Would you like to come watch?"

Kurapika smiled, though she wasn't sure why, Komugi couldn't see it. "Of course. When does it start? I'll take you there."

"Cemetery building," Komugi answered. "At noon."

The same place as the auction? Did everything happen in there?

. . .

Komugi won every match, of course. A few of her opponents even started to cry quietly. Kurapika had had to reassure the girl that they were alright.

"Where are we going now, Miss Kurapika?" Komugi asked from her position on Bahari's back.

"An ice cream shop. My parents always took me on an ice cream trip when I accomplished my goals," Kurapika informed, as the old-fashioned parlor came into view. It had gotten favorable reviews from the critics and tourists so it couldn't be too awful. Nothing would compare to her family's homemade ice cream, of course, but those recipes had died along with the village. Kurapika had lost count of the number of times she regretted not listening to her father's lessons. Her father's lessons, because her mother had been blessed with the inability to cook.

Pink lips curved upwards at the memory, and then promptly fell into a small frown at the realization that she would never be subjected to her mother's failed attempts at cooking.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, calming herself, before sticking another smile on her face and reaching to lift Komugi off the lion's back.

"Sorry, Bahari, you're going to have to stay out here," she told the lion, who promptly lied down on the pavement, napping in the afternoon sun. He didn't seem to mind too much. Maybe, he was tired?

The two of them entered the shop, Kurapika leading the white-haired girl by the hand. The walls were painted a creamy beige color. A line of lime green dashed through the entire room and then spilled out onto the ceiling. The tiled floor consisted of a similar color scheme. The lighting was bright and cheerful, obviously designed to draw in hungry families. Couches lined the walls, white tables lined the couches, which were then lined by light orange chairs. Kurapika could tell they took good care of this establishment.

"Do you have a favorite flavor, Komugi?" she asked.

"Flavor?" Komugi whispered, before pouting and crossing her arm as she considered the question. "Is there a strawberry flavor?"

Kurapika scanned the menu, then hummed her answer. The blonde then focused back on the line of people in front of her and . . .

Had they been staring at her this whole time? Perhaps, she was growing immune to prying eyes?

"Can I help you?" she asked, sweetly, because there were children present and she didn't want to scare them.

The teenagers at the front of the line swooned and fainted, forcing the cashier into a panic. The little girl right in front of her smiled.

"You're really pretty, Miss!" she said, placing her hands behind her back. Kurapika noted that this girl was probably filthy rich, perhaps even more rich than Neon. Her golden hair was curled up into ringlets, clear blue eyes glowing with that gleam of youth that Kurapika herself once possessed. The designer clothes were what really gave her away. A platinum cuff bracelet hung loosely from her slim wrist. Pearls circled around her neck, partially hidden by her black jacket.

Kurapika smiled, "thank you. You're very pretty as well."

The girl beamed at the compliment, then her icy blue eyes turned to Komugi. "Heh? You're really cute too!"

"Cu-Cute?" Komugi asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Are you her mom, Miss?" the girl asked.

"Lady Ayumi!" the woman, who had previously been watching amusedly from the sidelines, suddenly chastised her. She was too old to be her mother. A grandmother, perhaps? "What would your parents say?"

The girl crossed her arms and pouted, "I don't care. They're never here anyway."

Ah, the old parents-too-busy-to-spend-time-with-child cliche.

"Your parents work very hard, Miss Ayumi," the woman continued. This was clearly a conversation they had often run through. "You should be grateful to them. They're the reason you can live in luxury."

"I know, I know," Ayumi muttered, eyes downcast.

The cashier cleared her throat. "Will the next person please come up?"

"Yes!" Ayumi shouted, cheerfully, before running up to the freckled woman behind the counter. She started rattling off her complex order.

"I'm sorry," the woman said. "She's a little uncouth for a young lady, but she means well. Deep down, she's just lonely."

Kurapika smiled. "I can relate."

Other than Pairo, she butted heads with most of the other children back in the village. Mostly because her temper was a vicious little thing and could easily be awakened at the slightest provocation. She never made any real enemies, but getting along with them all the time was out of the question. Pairo had been the one who really helped keep her fury under control. Sweet, mild-mannered, shy Pairo. He'd been so quiet and kind that even she couldn't find it in her to snap at him.

And then, Chrollo came into the picture. For some reason, he never reacted to her temper, and they had always gotten along well, despite him treating her like the child she had been.

In a way, Chrollo and Pairo had been her only real friends back in the village. They had been enough. Kurapika hadn't been one to socialize much.

"One two-scoop strawberry cup and one one-scoop blueberry sugar cone, please," Kurapika asked politely.

"Comin' right up," the woman chirped. The blonde could barely keep track of her hands as they whipped up the orders. "There ya go. That'd be twenty jenny, miss."

She swiped her card and forked over the money electronically.

"Thank ya for choosing Blue Jewel's Ice Cream Parlour, Miss. Enjoy!"

Kurapika said some polite, but completely untrue, phrases and then handed Komugi her ice cream cup.

"Hey, hey, sit with us! Sit with us!" the girl from before said, excitedly, waving her hands in the air. Kurapika led Komugi to the table and placed her beside Ayumi. "What's your name?"

"Ko-Komugi," the white-haired girl answered.

"Whathat's so pretty," Ayumi chattered, "My name is Ayumi, but you probably knew that. Wanna be friends?"

"Friends?"

"Yeah! I don't have many friends, so I thought maybe we could . . ."

"Okay," Komugi whispered, barely above a whisper as her cheeks burned. Kurapika watched the whole scene with that characteristic motherly smile.

The doors to the shop suddenly slammed open.

"WHICH OF YOU IS KURAPIKA OF THE NOSTRADE FAMILY?!" one of the men screamed. Graying hair, wearing a suit, and sporting the look of a trained killer.

And it was her day off too.

"Komugi, stay here for a while, okay?"

"Okay."

With that, the blonde removed herself from her seat next to Komugi and steadily walked to where the men were standing. She cast them an icy stare.

"Not here. If you fall behind, it's your fault," she ordered. They followed her without so much as a protest.

. . .

"So, what do you want?" Kurapika finally came to a stop in the deserted spot of land between a bunch of deserted warehouses far away from prying eyes. She turned around to see the six men struggling to breathe for some reason. They hadn't had to run for that long. Around fifty miles. That was nothing. That was like an evening stroll. Weaklings.

"You . . . will . . . pay . . . for . . . your crimes . . . against the Blake family," the leader heaved.

"The what family?" Kurapika asked, unimpressed.

The man straightened, a new power seemingly flowing through him. He pointed at her. "The Blake family. Descendants of the noble clan of Straburry."

"Strawberry?"

"Straburry! Straburry! A clan from the far East!"

"The Azian Continent?" Kurapika continued with the same deadpan voice.

"Let me finish!" he yelled, indignantly. "The Straburry Clan are a noble tribe from the far East where they specialized in candle making."

Silence. A small snort of laughter.

"Don't laugh!"

"I'm sorry. I am!" she insisted. "Candlemaking, huh? That's," she cleared her throat, "an admirable profession. I'm sure they lit up thousands of cities for ages before electricity came into play."

The man sniffed, crossing his arms defiantly. "Naturally."

"So . . . are you guys going to attack me, or something?" she asked.

"We already have," the man suddenly said, a smug grin spreading across his worn face. Kurapika's eyes darted around. Nothing. Were they manipulators? Technical difficulties getting in the way? The man in front of her frowned. Technical difficulties then.

A few more minutes of silence passed.

"Caleb, what are you waiting for?" he asked one of the younger men. He was probably only a few years older than Kurapika with black hair and green eyes.

Shifting nervously, Caleb replied, "it's already activated, sir. Something's blocking it. Maybe, that's her nen ability."

It wasn't but they didn't need to know that.

The man tsked. "Nevermind then, attack her by force!"

"But sir, she's a woman!"

Ohohoho, no. Kurapika was a feminist deep down inside and she wasn't about to let that one slide.

"I easily outran all six of you and destroyed the other three from yesterday. I am clearly the most powerful one here. If you were paid to attack me, then do your job, instead of coming with cowardly excuses."

"See," the leader pointed, "she doesn't care. Kill her."

And so, all five men ambushed her. Two minutes and they all lay unconscious on the ground. She glanced up at the leader. He raised his arms in a placating manner.

"Understood, we won't come after you anymore, sorry," he said, before running away.

She heard clapping from behind her. From the warehouse?

"Well done." She recognized that voice. But from where? Whirling around on her heels, she faced the familiar figure.

"Paku?"

The woman smiled conspiratorially. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Danchou was the one who shielded you from that man's hatsu."

"Shielded me?" Kurapika asked.

Pakunoda nodded, "he's still in the warehouse if you want to go see him. That man had a hatsu that could freeze people in their spots if they stood there long enough. Danchou knew that and protected you."

For some reason, that irked Kurapika a bit. Did he think she was so weak? That she wouldn't be able to fend off six amateurs?

The irritation soon faded. He was just worried about her. Furthermore, she hadn't known about their hatsus. She could've been beaten under the right circumstaces.

"Give him my thanks then," she finally said, before walking away.

"Alright, then, but you have to promise to thank him properly after all this is over," Paku teased, sounding much like the annoying older sister goading her less shameless younger sister to do all the fun, shameless things she did when she was younger.

"I'll take it into consideration."

 _I'll probably forget by the time this is all over. If I'm still alive, that is._

 **. . .**

 **Next on Lions!:**

 **You decide: we could either skip the last four days, or build up even more tension by showing how both sides are preparing for the auction.**

 **Question of the Day: Paku the sister? Thoughts?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **guest: Well, Chrollo has already met most of Kura's family, so now he's repaying the favor. Yeah, that is totally the reason I sent Kortop with Shal and Uvo. This last chapter's got me even more worried about Kurapika. I'm glad you think KuroKura is adorable, because what's a good couple if they don't make you melt into puddles of goo when they show their devotion for each other. And Kurapika was so close to reuniting with Chrollo. Girl's too stubborn for her own good. Kurapika is best mom! I think I overdo it sometimes, but she's just so cute when she's in Mama Bear mode. Come to think of it, Bahari and Chrollo's meeting is probably going to be like that. And OMG, I love Tangled. Do you have a favorite Disney movie? Mine's a tie between Mulan and Beauty and the Beast. Kurapika looks great in anything. Give him a pink, frilly dress and he'll rock it because he's just that awesome. I wonder what would happen in an AU where Kurapika's a fashion model/designer. Interesting, very interesting. It'd be hilarious. Oh no, I already have too many stories in here. The Pika-effect has contaminated millions of people and is expected to take even more lonely souls. It's simply irresistible. Unfortunately, the source of the Pika-effect has eyes only for one man, who also happens to be her hated enemy. Eh-hem, it's complicated? Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter! : ) : )**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Both? Uvogin has no problem with Kurapika. He thinks of her as a spunky little sister. She thinks of him as a pest. I love Moriarty too, no matter how much of a crazy, psychotic bastard he gets. I ship JohnLock too, and it feels like most of the canon characters do as well. The Troupe is being the most supportive group of in-laws in the history of in-laws. Mostly because they don't want Kurapika to pose a problem which will eventually force Danchou's hand and possibly destroy the troupe. Feitan was probably like:**

 **"Hell nah."**

 **"C'mon, do it for Danchou."**

 **"Nah."**

 **"I'll give you half my kills from the next heist."**

 **"Okay."**

 **Man, I keep forgetting Fei has a speech impediment. Fun fact: It's hard to write speech impediments without sounding offensive. Or maybe I'm just paranoid? Komugi, the poor child. I'm sorry Togashi killed you off like that, but it had to be done. Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you liked this short chapter.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Thanks for reading. If you would be so kind as to review, favorite, and follow that would be much appreciated.**


	7. Of Old Friends and Helpful Boyfriends

**Disclaimer: Don't own HxH.**

 **(I know the whole Zepile nonsense didn't occur until after the auction, but I needed to give KilluGon something to do. So, FYI, we're still three days away from the auction. Also, Hiatus x Hiatus, but it's supposed to come back before the year's out. I don't know if I believe them.)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 7:**

 **Of Old Friends and Helpful Boyfriends**

Igonia S. Freecss stared at the strange red-haired man in front of her.

"Put that statue down!" he repeated, and she turned back to the nice old man who'd been appraising the things they'd bought at the Bull Market. The statue was still in his hands, but they were shaking now.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, voice coming out high-pitched and squeaky.

The tall guy just glared at him, before facing Gon and Killua again. "Don't let him scam ya, kids. He's offering a fair price for the doll and painting, but he's lying 'bout the statue!"

Heh, was that true? Gon and Killua kept their eyes fixed on the red-haired man. He didn't seem to be lying. But then, how did he know that the other man was? That was so cool!

"I - I never lied," the appraiser stuttered. By then, both Gon and Killua had come to the conclusion he was.

The man scoffed. "Really? No one would offer up eighty thousand jenny for wood. You're interested in the contents inside that statue."

Inside? So, it was like a surprise statue?

"It's a wooden trove."

"A wooden trove?" they both repeated, curious to know more.

The man nodded gravely. "Three hundred years ago, this was a popular way for the wealthy to hide their money. If it's real, there should be treasure inside."

Treasure! That would be worth a lot of money, right? She could get one step closer to Greed Island!

The man continued, still glaring at the appraiser, who was now sweating profusely. "You were planning to steal the contents while pretending to check its age."

"I - I would never do that," he defended, but it was clear he was hanging by a thread here. So, there really were people who tried to scam others like this. Gon had really thought he was a nice man.

"Wait," another voice interrupted them. A large man came out from the door behind the merchant. He was kind of intimidating, but Gon had seen worse. "Can you prove it's a real wooden trove?"

He continued explaining his reasoning. For one, the wood, while it was three hundred years old at least, wasn't a good indicator of the statue's age. The material might have been old, but that didn't mean the statue was. It was called hoodwinking: The act of fooling an appraiser by using a counterfeit.

"That isn't what I'm doing," the man in pink insisted, pointing to a line at the top of the statue. "There's a seam right here that an amateur would never recognize. It's an adhesive that was only used in that period."

The big man smiled, smugly, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow. "You're insisting this is a real wooden trove?"

"Yeah," he replied, simply, not at all fazed by the muscleman. "But it is possible that it's already been opened once to swap out the contents and was then reassembled."

The muscleman looked back at Gon and Killua, surprisingly willing to give them another lesson on cheating. "We'd call that a dud, or double-dipping. Placing a new adhesive atop the old to create a dud." He faced the pink man again. "But only an amateur would do that. A pro would melt the adhesive with a flame, before resealing it once more. That way it would appear as if the statue was never opened in the first place. That's called welding."

Her head was starting to hurt again, but she forced herself to focus. This stuff was really cool, after all! She wanted to know more!

"It hasn't been welded," the pink man said. "If it had been, then there would be scorch marks from the fire and the adhesive would've been discolored."

"Even the pros have a hard time weighing those details," he retorted, still grinning. "I can't trust you."

"I'm a pro appraiser! I swear by my eyes . . ." He placed a hand on the statue. "This is a real wooden trove. It's never been opened and the treasure inside hasn't been removed."

"Okay," the man said, the promise of a challenge in his voice, "let's assume this is a real wooden trove. What would you do?"

A few seconds of staring, and the pink man's lips curved into an easy, friendly smile.

"I'll be your slave for the rest of my life."

Heh, that was a bit extreme! Was he really that confident?

The other man smiled as well, but his was the smile of someone who'd been defeated. He placed a hand on the old appraiser's shoulder. "Give up."

Reluctantly, the man placed the statue back on the table. Their new friend took it and put it on the floor, and then bust it open with a special tool made especially for this sort of thing. Gon felt the excitement well up in her, and then, the statue broke in half and the jewels poured out. There were so many! She'd surely get Greed Island soon at this rate!

"Woah!"

. . .

"So, your name is Zepile?" Gon asked, adorable as always. Killua still wasn't sure if he trusted the guy, but he hadn't done anything too stupid yet so he let him off easy. "Thanks a lot for what you did!"

"You don't have to thank me," the man said. "Consider it a give and take."

Choose your next words carefully, old man.

"Twenty percent sounds fair," he continued, raising two fingers and smiling like it was already settled. "My cut when you sell the treasure."

Killua glared. There was always something.

"What?!" he shouted, annoyed. "You're gonna rob us?" _Filthy, old man, get your money elsewhere, instead of preying on teenagers._ Killua considered throwing the package in his arms at him, but then he might damage the merchandise, and then what? Gon might not be able to get Greed Island.

Zepile looked almost insulted. Dirty, old man. "That's uncalled for. It's my fee for providing advice."

"I don't see a problem with that," Gon cut in. Killua immediately softened up at her voice. She really was too naive, too nice, too pure. "He really helped us out back there."

Killua was having none of it. "Now, look here. We need as much jenny as we can get. I might be willing to buy him lunch or some shi -" Gon's innocent look cut him off. He couldn't swear in front of Gon. "Thing. Something."

"Really?" Zepile asked, surprisingly interested in his offer. "Then I'll settle for that."

Huh? Didn't he just say . . . oh, nevermind.

. . .

"Zepile seems nice," Gon commented, as they walked through the city after lunch. It was still light outside, so they had some time to kill.

Killua glowered, wallowing in his quiet anger. He didn't like Zepile very much. "If by nice, you mean crooked."

"He kind of reminds me of Leorio."

"They're both drunkards, perverts, and useless more often than not. I can kind of see it."

Gon jabbed him with her elbow. "Don't be mean. Leorio has a lot of good traits. He's nice, caring, he always looks out for his friends, and he's a great doctor."

"He's not a doctor yet."

"But he will be soon."

Killua was ready to make a witty comeback when he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

"Is that?" he trailed off, eyes still fixed on the window of the coffee shop.

Gon followed his gaze to the familiar dark-haired man sitting at a table, sipping his caffeinated beverage and reading a book. "Mr. Lucilfer? What's he doing here?" And Gon, being the reckless person she was, decided to get her answers as quickly as possible and approach the man. Killua stopped her before she could even begin to cross the street.

"I don't think it's a good idea to just go up to him like this," he warned. Lucilfer might not have done anything to harm them while they were at school, but Killua knew a murderer when he saw one. That guy was dangerous, and if there was one thing he didn't like around Gon, it was danger. Especially when Kurapika wasn't around to give it a conscience.

"But it's Mr. Lucilfer," Gon said, as if that was the answer to all his problems with this situation. "Kurapika trusts him, and so do I."

Killua pressed his lips into a thin line, debating his next words. "I know that, but to be honest, Kurapika might be a little biased."

"What do you mean?" Gon asked, eyes wide with curiosity. She clearly couldn't fathom the idea of Kurapika being anything but impartial.

"I mean, Kurapika is head over heels for the guy. Not to mention she's only ever seen his good side." His explanation was met with silence, and when his patience finally reached its peak, he cracked one eye open. Gon was gone. "Hey!"

He caught up with her with ease and asked her what the hell she thought she was doing, because really, what the hell was she doing?

"But he waved," was her answer.

And so, a few minutes later they were sitting across from a handsome man with teal, globular earrings dressed in a black suit and slacks. He looked like the respectable business man he probably had never been.

Just how many suits did this guy have?

"Fancy seeing you here," the man said, smiling easily. He looked so harmless, Killua was almost fooled. Almost. "Choose anything you'd like. I can pay."

"We don't want anything from y-" he was cut off.

"Really?" Gon said, picking up the menu on the table, and edging closer to Killua so they could share. Killua stiffened. She smelled so nice, warmth practically radiated of her as their shoulders touched. "There's so many things!"

"Have you visited Kurapika yet?" Lucilfer asked, casually, but Killua wasn't fooled. This was the real reason he'd called them over. He wanted to check up on her from the start.

Gon pouted. "Not yet. She hasn't been answering our calls or texts. I guess she's too busy." Then she brightened up. "But I'm sure she'll be in Central Park on September First!"

"I'm sure," Lucilfer agreed, though it was obvious he had reached a completely different conclusion. "I could give you her address if you'd like."

Gon considered. "I don't think she'd like that very much. We'll just wait."

"I think she could actually use your help," Lucilfer insisted. "She's probably stressed with her new job. You two showing up would lighten the mood."

"I guess you're right," Gon said. "We could bring her something sweet to eat too. Kurapika likes sweet foods." She turned to Killua in askance. After all, they were partners.

He shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to visit, I suppose. We could just all meet up with Leorio on September First like we planned."

"There you go," Lucilfer said, passing them a white, square piece of paper. "Kurapika likes blueberries, so I'd recommend the pie."

And then he left.

Hey, wait a minute! Wasn't he supposed to pay?

"Ahem," someone behind them cleared her throat. They turned to see a pretty waitress with pink hair looking down at them with a dazed smile. She was blushing for some reason. "That man over there just told me to wire your bill to his account. What would you like?"

Gon had an entire list ready.

"And a slice of blueberry pie please," she finished.

"Coming right up," the woman said, still daydreaming, no doubt. He almost felt sorry for her. Lucilfer was pretty ruthless. "By the way, that man, is he . . . I mean . . . you wouldn't happen to know . . . if he was . . . single?"

What?

"Sorry," Gon said, looking genuinely apologetic, "he's dating one of our best friends right now."

"You dodged a bullet in my opinion," Killua grumbled. Gon jabbed him with her elbow again.

. . .

Gon knocked on the door thrice and then waited for the light sound of shuffling feet. Only seconds later, they arrived and the door cracked open. Two brown eyes peeked out, a flash of blonde hair and pale skin. Kurapika.

As soon as she realized who it was, Kurapika attempted to slam the door closed, but Gon used her foot as a door stop.

"Please let us in?" she pleaded. Gon could see it in Kurapika's eyes. The blonde had already changed and it had only been a couple months. She didn't like this change. "We brought pie? It's blueberry."

Kurapika's eyes lit up, and for a second, Gon saw that child-like woman she'd sometimes seen in the presence of puzzles or libraries or Chrollos.

The door was practically flung open. "Alright, but just for a second."

Gon smiled triumphantly. So that was why Chrollo had told her to bring the blueberry pie. It was Kurapika's weakness.

The interior of the apartment was pristine, as expected. Kurapika was a bit of a clean freak and liked keeping things orderly, arguing that if there was no order things would get out of hand too quickly.

"My roommate is sleeping now, so we'll have to talk quietly."

Gon somehow felt that comment was directed at her. Strange. She wasn't loud all the time.

Kurapika led them to the dining room, where they sat down in chairs of mahogany and were met with a plate of sugar cookies.

"Ah," Kurapika whispered, noting where their gaze fell, "one of my roommate's friends came over earlier. I decided to make them some cookies. You could try some if you'd like."

The younger girl was suddenly flooded with a sense of relief as she realized her friend hadn't changed that much. She might be deadlier, more intimidating in every sense of the word, but she was still Kurapika deep down and nothing was going to change that. Fretting over every little thing.

"So," Kurapika started, opening the box with the blueberry pie and digging in with a silver fork, "how's your search for Greed Island coming along?"

Her face fell.

"No luck, hmm?" Kurapika chuckled, placing her chin on her hand. "You've found it, I suspect, so it's the money that's the problem."

Gon nodded, solemnly.

"I could lend you some if you'd like. How much is it?" Kurapika asked.

"5.8 billion jenny," Gon mumbled.

Kurapika's eyes widened almost comically as if she was trying to decide if she should laugh or cry.

"For a video game?" she breathed out. Gon nodded, eliciting a chuckle from the other girl. "My, you have your work cut out for you. I have around three billion saved up on my account."

"Thanks, but I don't think that's the way Ging wanted me to win this," Gon declined, politely. Right, she had to win this with her own power, not Kurapika's.

"Understood."

They entered a comfortable silence, each within their own thoughts until Gon's reached a rather unsettling topic. A topic that had been haunting her, drowning her in its ominousness. Something she was sure she shouldn't bring up but felt the urge to much stronger than any common sense could be. Gon needed to know.

"You're still chasing the Spider, right, Kurapika?" she started, cautiously. The other woman's eyes grew scarlet just at the name. Gon knew she was walking on thin ice, still she walked on.

"Yes," Kurapika answered, voice low and dangerous, almost a hiss.

Gon bit her lip. "They're here, aren't they?"

The blonde nodded.

"I want to help-"

"No."

"But Kurapika." She stood up at the same time the Kurta did, ignoring the shivers that crawled up her spine at Kurapika's angry stare. It wasn't meant for her, after all.

Kurapika inhaled through her nose, trying to calm down. "I think it's time for you both to leave."

Killua stood up as well. "We're just trying to help."

"Well, it's unnecessary," Kurapika snapped, herding them back to the door before they even knew what was happening.

"We won't get in the way, Kurapika," Gon pleaded, taking her hand. "Let us be there for you!"

She snatched it away, temper flaring. "Do you have any idea what these people could do to you? I know you want to help, but there's nothing you can do at this point."

"But -" She had to. Kurapika . . . Kurapika was always there for everyone. Kurapika didn't deserve to face this alone . . . no one did. Now, if only she would stop being so stubborn.

"Enough, Gon," she almost begged, and the young Freecss knew that if it wasn't for her roommate in the other room, she'd have screamed. "Thank you for checking up on me, the both of you, but I'm not going to put you in anymore danger than you have to be."

She pushed them out the door where a lion stood with a basket in his jaw.

"Bahari," Kurapika sighed, voice returning to normal somewhat. "Come in."

They both ignored the fact that their friend had apparently made friends with a possibly dangerous wild animal. They had seen stranger things. Gon opened her mouth again, but nothing came out. She couldn't say anything all of a sudden, as her friend glared at her with the anger she saved for her enemies. She knew she couldn't convince her. Killua gripped his girlfriend's hand.

"We're not useless, you know," Killua said, sounding almost insulted at being thought of as such. "With our help, you would definitely beat them."

"Or you could die!" she finally blurted out, voice shaking. Neither of them had ever seen her so distressed. Not even when she'd been plagued by nightmares of her dead clan. Probably because she knew they were fake visions. The possibility of them dying because they tried to get her out of a tough spot was very real.

And she was terrified of that possibility.

"Goodbye."

The door swung shut, leaving them to contemplate their failure.

"Bye."

For now.

 **. . .**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Two more days! Kurapika's working. Nico's being obnoxious. Neon's being . . . Neon. Gon and Killua have plans.**

 **(A/N: So, yeah, we're getting there. I hope you liked it. Let me know if you notice any problems with the plot. The timeline's sort of messed up, I know.)**

 **Question of the Day: How was that confrontation between Kura and KilluGon (mostly Gon)?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **guest: They're always so close to each other and yet so far. They're both constantly obsessing over one another though, so that counts for something. Chrollo's gonna throw all his tricks at her and hope one of them successfully keeps her away from the auction house for a few days. If that means sending KilluGon to her, then alright. 'Lovesick' is the only thing I could describe either of them as. I miss them together too. Fashion model! Kurapika and photographer! Chrollo. Oh dear, they'd kill each other. Well, Kurapika would kill him, and Chrollo would just smirk like this was all part of his master plan. I know! It's so hard to choose a favorite disney movie. There's too many! The frickin' dolphin is literally as bad as any villain for me right now! It's gonna be the true villain of the DC Arc, screw Tserriednich! I'm so worried for Kura. And now it's hiatus season again! This isn't good for my heart, but I guess it just means we go another chapter without Kurapika or Chrollo dying again. Always look on the bright side, eh? Paku is definitely the president of the KuroKura fan club. She'll see those two get married if it's the last thing she does! See ya next time, friend. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Your wish is my command. Auction prep, it is. Though, there isn't much of it here. It's just Kura and KilluGon and a bit of conniving Chrollo. Those two should just get married already. Kiss and make up, skip the drama. OMG, Komugi is my second favorite female character too! I liked Palm and Senritsu as well, for what they were worth. There's a few female characters in the manga that are making there way up the list as well. I won't say who though, since I believe you haven't read the recent chapters yet (I wish I were you, I wouldn't have to suffer hiatus season). Oh, and in the original Hunter Exam, the first phase made them run 50 miles. Crazy stuff. They didn't even break a sweat (except for Leorio). I hope writing Feitan gets easier. I'm not sure if I should like him or hate him. He's like the edgy little brother of the Phantom Troupe, but he's also a murdering thief who tortures people for fun. At least Chrollo's a classy murdering thief. Maybe, I'm setting up a double standard? Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter. I'm willing to fangirl over Moriarty anytime.**

 **MedusaLegend: I know right? They were so close to making up, getting married, starting a family . . . and now it's ruined. Don't worry, though, if all goes according to plan and I don't get the sudden urge to kill one of them off, they'll be married within a five-year time period. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter. I hope to see you next time.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To everyone: Thanks for reading. Please review, favorite, and follow.**


	8. Of Pasts And Plans

**Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 8:**

 **Of Pasts and Plans**

Kurapika listened closely as Dalzollene went through the plan for the auction. She might not be able to attend it, but she'd be damned if she wouldn't try to be as close to it as possible.

"Basho and Linssen will guard the back," Dalzollene explained, pointing to the appropriate place on the blueprints. "Squala and I will guard the front. Baise and Tocino will go get the items. Remember, money's not an issue. Do what you must to obtain the things on the list."

"Hey, what about Kurapika?" Basho complained, pointing at her with his thumb. She said nothing.

"Kurapika will be keeping Neon company."

Basho put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I feel ya."

"That's unnecessary." She slipped out of his reach, edging away with clear distaste. Kurapika didn't like other people touching her. A personal bubble would've been an interesting nen power. Only people she cared about would be allowed to touch her in that case. If she survived this ordeal, she might consider taking up a different nen power. Could someone do that? She'd have to ask Chrollo. Surely, he'd tell her, especially once the truth came out about her restrictions.

"Anyway," Dalzollene intervened, quickly. "We'll be leaving for the hotel the night before the auction. We'll all have to stay within the premises of the boss's room, so make sure you've taken care of your previous living arrangements. Understood?"

They all nodded.

"Good. I won't be repeating myself. You're dismissed."

He didn't need to tell them what would happen if they failed any of their assigned duties. They assumed it wasn't something as simple as lowering their pay.

"Kurapika!" a voice called. They all turned to see Neon running down the hall towards them with something that looked like a checklist in her hand.

"Here she comes," Basho whispered, placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing the blonde in front of him like a shield. "Good luck."

Kurapika didn't respond, opting to slap on a charming smile instead. "Hello, Neon. Is there something you need?"

It took the other girl about three seconds to start blushing.

"We-well I . . . I know how much you like being prepared and I just thought that maybe I could give it as shot," she cleared her throat as she passed the checklist to the other girl. "I'm not very good at it, but-"

Kurapika flipped through the many pages swiftly. When did Neon plan on going to all these stores? There was no way she could afford to buy that. Would her father be providing his credit card as well? "It's very detailed, Neon. I doubt there'll be one dull moment." She might just have to find a cliff to jump off of if it meant getting away from all these shopping trips.

Basho whistled appreciatively. "It's like a novel. You realize you're only going there for one day, right? It's a bit mu-"

At his comment, Kurapika slammed her foot down on his, all while wearing a deceptively carefree smile. Neon didn't notice. She was too busy blushing and sputtering out strange nonsense that sounded much like a thank you.

"I think," Basho started, but his voice came out as a squeak as he tried not to lean down and massage his aching foot, "I'll be going now." And with that, Mr. Pompadour walked away from the two women.

Kurapika turned her attention back to Neon, who was still blushing madly. "Shall we go? You can explain your plans in the parlor."

Neon nodded. The blonde started to walk away. This was truly the most effective method of dealing with that girl. Kindness held a strange power over others.

"I thought I told you to stop being such an asshole to her!" She wasn't being an . . . oh wait, that wasn't even directed at her. In fact, Nico, who'd been the one who shouted, wasn't even in the corridor.

She heard Neon stop beside her. "That's daddy's office. I'm technically not supposed to come so close to it, but no one ever really does anything about it so . . ."

"What is your idiot brother doing yelling at his father?" Kurapika asked, distaste clear in her voice. She'd die for a chance to see her parents again, and here he was, disrespecting his own. It made her blood boil somehow. The man didn't seem like a completely terrible father, even if he was a complete workaholic.

Neon let a small, wistful smile slip onto her face. "Mom and dad split up when I was eight. Dad kept me because of my fortune-telling, and Mom took Nico. I haven't seen her since she left for Londres, but Nico always managed to visit at least a few times a year. Dad and him always fight when he's here."

"And your mother?" Kurapika continued, cautiously. If anyone knew about the reluctance one feels when revealing something so important, it was her. "Why wouldn't she come?"

Neon shrugged. "I guess she just didn't want to see me. After all, the reason Daddy even got into the Mafia business was because of my fortune telling. Mom didn't want any part in it."

She sounded casual, as if she wasn't divulging an important part of her past, but then, how did one explain something like this to a person they barely knew. Kurapika doubted she would reveal her past at all if someone just asked. They'd need to gain her trust over the course of a few years before she opened up to them. Neon didn't seem to have any of these constraints. And yet, despite all that, she could tell Neon missed having her family together.

"I'm sorry!" Neon suddenly blurted out. "After all you went through with your family, I must sound like such a brat talking about my problems. I mean, a divorce is nothing compared to getting your entire family murdered."

Kurapika's steps halted, and Neon covered her mouth with a pale, slightly shaky hand. "Who told you that?" the blonde whispered, voice so quiet and cold, it felt like she might kill someone. "Neon. Who told you about them?"

"Well . . ." she trailed off. They had probably told her not to reveal their names to her. So, it was someone she knew? Probably Chrollo, since he was the only one brave enough to try something so stupid. Gon was too thoughtful, and Killua didn't care enough. Leorio might've told her, but he knew too well what would happen if he had. Then there was Netero, whose strange mood swings would fit all the criteria to do something like this. But, if it was someone outside of her circle of friends, then she needed to know everything. The possibility of others learning she was a Kurta was too dangerous.

"Neon. You can tell me," she reassured, voice back to the sweet, yet distant, chime she always used around her.

Neon bit her lip. "It was Mr. Lucilfer!" The words fell out before she could stop them, and Kurapika's temper suddenly bubbled over. Still, she kept herself under control.

"I see. What else did he tell you?"

"That's all," Neon said. "I asked, so he told me what happened. In the end, he said I should go to you if I want any more details. It wasn't his place to tell me more." It wasn't his place to say anything in Kurapika's humble opinion, but at least, he hadn't told her anything about the Scarlet Eyes.

She opened the door for Neon, stiffly, a common side effect of her fury.

"Are you sure you're not angry?" Neon asked, still chewing at her bottom lip nervously.

Kurapika smiled reassuringly. "Oh, I'm seething."

Neon's face fell. She looked so ashamed of herself that Kurapika almost wanted to give her a hug.

"But not with you," she added quickly. "Though, you can bet the next time I see that man he'll be getting quite a lecture."

The blue-haired girl smiled this time, albeit the smile was one of sadness and heartbreak. "I see. That's good."

"Is something wrong?" Kurapika asked, as they sat down in the fluffy blue chairs settled around a large, rectangular table.

Neon shook her head. "No, it's just . . . seeing you talk about him," she broke off as she tried to string her next words together, "reminds me how close you two must be."

It was moments like this Kurapika remembered she had no idea how to deal with a broken heart. Dealing with lecherous pervs? Easy, just hospitalize them for a few weeks and they'd give up. Unless they were masochists, in which case, a restraining order should do the trick. If they were masochists _and_ affluent, then things got a bit more complicated, and some more drastic measures would have to be taken. Thankfully, those were few and far between, and even in those circumstances, she could easily deal with them. She'd never had to let someone down easy. Except for the three thousand four hundred fifty six confessions she'd gotten back at school, but one look at Chrollo behind her staring them down with a murderous smile convinced them to simply admire her from afar. But Neon was actually her friend, a valued one too. She wasn't a Gon or Leorio or even a Killua, but she still mattered.

Kurapika ended up not having to say anything at all thanks to a well-placed opening of the grand door.

"Hey, sis," Nico greeted, kissing her on the cheek, a friendly greeting that wasn't used too much in the United States of Saherta, but is quite popular in Londres itself. Even in Lukso province, it was a common occurrence.

Neon's face visibly relaxed. "Hi. What were you and Daddy arguing about?"

"You heard that, huh," he sighed, "just business. You're too young for it."

Neon pouted. "Am not."

"You'll give yourself wrinkles from too much stress," he teased, poking her forehead.

Neon covered her forehead with her hands as if shielding it. "I want to know! I'm a part of this family too, ya know!"

"Well, if you insist," the man said, shrugging, "you got a few more requests from Dad's business partners. I got a bit cross with him, that's all."

Neon frowned. "You know I don't mind. Fortune-telling is one of the things I want to share with others." Kurapika suddenly felt this conversation wasn't meant for her ears. "If I can't use it, then what's the point? If I can't tell other people's fortunes, then what good am I?"

The whole room went quiet. She wasn't quite sure what Nico's problem was, but this was Kurapika's first encounter with Neon's philosophical ponderings. The blonde needed a moment to let the truth sink in.

"I'll . . ." Neon cut the silence off, "go get some snacks for us."

"I'll go with you," Kurapika said, standing up.

A hand reached out to take her arm. She turned back to see a rather serious looking Nico. "Let her go." The door shut behind the younger girl. "When she starts talking about things she could easily make one of the servants do it means she wants to be alone.

The blonde relented, some part of her found itself relating to Neon and sat down. "Your family is rather convoluted, isn't it?" Why she was starting a conversation with him of all people was a mystery to her. It was probably due to the fact that he probably had all the answers to the questions doing backflips around in her head. More importantly, she might need to know about these family matters if she was to use said family to get her clan's eyes back. This man was the heir to the Nostrade Family Corporation, she needed to know as much about him as possible so she could manipulate him later on.

"If by convoluted you mean that our parents separated us eight years ago, and were intent on never letting us see each other again until I slammed the breaks and decided to become the successor to Dad's company, then yes, it's quite convoluted," he explained, irritably, massaging the bridge of his nose, looking nothing like the man who'd been speaking with Neon a few seconds ago.

Kurapika tipped her head to one side. How far could she dig into this mysterious past of theirs before she was pushed away from it like a child from a scalding pot? Unlike with Neon, she didn't care if she hurt his feelings, so she could interrogate him all she wanted. "You don't seem very enthusiastic about taking over."

He smirked, bitterly. "I have no intention of doing so. I'll wait it out until that old man's dead. Then, I'm getting Neon out of here as fast as possible."

"And the company? You can't just leave the Mafia. They might come after you," she countered.

This time, he smiled at her, fondness in his voice and actions. "That's why we have people like you."

"You really think you'll have enough money to keep me around?" she asked, incredulously.

He tapped the armrest of his chair. "No. I don't think we'll need money though. _Money_ isn't what you're here for, is it?"

Now, how did he come to that conclusion?

"No, it isn't," she answered, ending the sentence sharply, letting him know she was not willing to provide the response he wanted. "Where will you go after he's gone? Have you already made plans for living alone? What of your mother? I heard she's less than welcoming to Neon."

His expression darkened. "Who told you that?" She opened her mouth to respond, but he just kept talking. "She'd love to take Neon back, but Dad's got custody over her. Mom can't get within a hundred-mile-radius of Neon without someone coming after her. That's why she wants me to get her out of here."

"She seems happy enough," Kurapika interjected. "Have you run your little plan through to her as well? She is the one getting affected after all."

This time, he sent her a glare. It wasn't a very good one, hardly as chilling as her own, but it was clear he'd be shutting up about the topic soon. "Neon doesn't know any better. She doesn't remember a time where she wasn't used as a tool. _She_ loves our father. She doesn't need to betray him."

"And you think you can offer her a better future than he?"

"I know I can."

And then the door opened once more.

"I hope you all like ginseng t - what's going on?" Neon asked, holding a tray filled with cookies and muffins.

Nico pulled up his big-brother mask again, smiling like nothing had happened. "Nothing. What kinds of cookies are those?"

"Oh, it's a mix. Sugar cookies, brownies, double chocolate, chocolate chip, almond, peanut butter, and, well, I'm not sure what those are but they looked good so I took some anyway. There's also some blueberry muffins if you want some."

Kurapika seemed to. Blueberry-maniac. Who'd have thought?

. . .

"Where are you going?" Killua asked, as he watched the girl walk down the street, eyes fixed on her phone.

Gon tapped the screen again. "If Kurapika won't listen to us, we'll just have to convince Mr. Lucilfer to see her instead!"

Silence.

"What?!"

Gon looked at him, surprised to see him so opposed to her plan. "I'm sure he'll understand. I mean, if anyone will be able to get through to her, it's him."

True, but still . . .

"Do you even know where he is?" Sometimes, Killua wondered why he put up with this madness. Then he remembered he loved Gon and couldn't just leave her to fend for herself in a world filled with Hisokas and Illumis and Lucilfers.

"Not really."

This was going to be a long day.

"What's that on your phone?"

"We're going back to that coffee shop."

Oh. The old retracing of steps. Alright, he'd give it a shot. For Kurapika, and Gon, but mostly Kurapika.

They passed the lines of shops, filled with food and clothes and other fun things people made to bring in the big bucks. Past the traffic jams and past the crowds of people on the streets. Turning corners and making strange u-turns around dark alleys, and Killua really, really hoped this GPS system was working and wished he'd just told her he remembered the path to the coffee shop anyway but she just looked so focused and hopeful about doing something to help Kurapika and . . . well, Killua wasn't that cold-hearted. In fact, all his assassin-y senses had been failing him lately. What had this woman done to him?

"There he is!" Gon said, pointing at the man in the window, reading a book and enjoying a cup of coffee, just like the day before.

So, he'd know they'd come back, or at least had been prepared for them to walk in empty-handed. What would he say? Would he even agree to see Kurapika? If he had wanted to, wouldn't he have already done it? Was he planning something bigger? What was he saying? Of course, he was. This was Lucilfer they were talking about. So, the question remained. What was he planning? They couldn't just go in without knowing at least that. Killua, for a second, put himself in Lucilfer's shoes. Imagined he was psychologically unstable and morally ambiguous, which wasn't too difficult, and that Gon was the one putting her life on the line to destroy the Phantom Troupe. Okay, well, first, he'd probably get her a therapist, but that probably wasn't Lucilfer's style. No, if he was THE Chrollo Lucilfer and it just so happened that someone he cared about was about to be killed and had awesome friends like them . . . what would he do?

No. No way.

Well, maybe. It wasn't too ridiculous.

It was to save Kurapika, after all. If he was to save Gon subtly, he'd do same thing.

Have her friends barge back into her life and tear down her walls, and then deliver the finishing blow with his own presence.

The bastard had it all planned out from the beginning.

Damn, he was smart.

 **. . .**

 **Next On Lions!:**

 **Last day before the auction. Neon and her bodyguards are leaving for downtown YorkNew. Last day, guys. LAST DAY!**

 **Question Of The Day: How do you feel about Neon and Nico's backstory? And are you excited to see the Chain Pair meeting up again?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **guest: Don't worry. As long as you review, I'm happy. Killua is the realist in this fic, just dealing with everyone else's craziness for now until the Chimera Ant Arc . . . oh wait . . . he's still dealing with everyone else's craziness in that arc. Poor kid's got his work cut out for him. Killua must protect Gon! And Gon must protect Killua! That's how it works! Partnership is beautiful! I can actually see Chrollo getting Kurapika and him matching shirts somewhere down the line in their relationship. Just to get her riled up. Chrollo's got a plan in all this, but yeah, it's also easier to send the kids to pay the bills. Kurapika is a blueberry-maniac, but blueberry pie especially. Why blueberries? I dunno, they just have a lot of antioxidants and vitamin C which is good for stress relief which she always needs. I could imagine her taking her kids to pick blueberries with her in the future. Tserriednich is literally terrifying and I want him to stay the hell away from my precious blond child. Someone needs to kill that man already. And Theta! Protect Theta, please! I can see her and Kurapika getting along, actually. Ugh, math. Hate it. Don't want to talk about it. Thanks for reviewing and reading and all that fun stuff. Hope to hear from you soon!**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Killua's the relatable one here. Just reacting to everyone else's BS. Gon makes everyone believe in the best future possible (and then Pitou happens). Chain Pair angstiness will be at its peak in a few chapters. It's not pretty, I tell you, but honestly, Chrollo had it coming. Anyway, Chrollo probably steals the suits from designer stores just for the heck of it. Just steals that stuff by the truckload. Kurapika, while a little more rational and caring and motherly, is still Kurapika. She's gotta push all her friends away. It's like a requirement. Don't you worry, though, Kurapika gets better. Scars heal, happiness is delivered (finally). How far along in the manga are you? And Feitan is just too . . . murderous for me sometimes. However will I write the Chimera Ant Arc? I do not know. Maybe I'll skip around the extremely bloody parts? Thanks for reviewing and I hope to hear more from you soon! Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Please review, favorite, and follow so more people can find this story. Thank you : ).**


	9. Of Friendships and Preparations

**A/N: I hope none of you are in the hurricane zone, and if you are, then I pray for your safety. Because it just sounds absolutely terrifying.**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 9:**

 **Of Friendships and Preparations**

Kurapika sighed heavily as she settled down into the surprisingly soft cushions of the car, loosening the black tie around her slender, pale neck. It was too warm for suits. Her tribal attire was much better in dealing with these types of things. Unfortunately, an expert would be able to recognize the traditional Kurtan markings and that was the last thing she needed right now. Not that she wouldn't be able to handle them, but at the end of the day, our blonde avenger stood for justice. If she could avoid confrontation with those people that would be much preferred.

She heard the soft click of ice against glass and turned towards it. Neon sat beside her with a bottle in her hand. Raising a dubious eyebrow, Kurapika gave Neon an expectant gaze.

"Here. It's iced lemonade," the blue-haired girl explained quickly. "You just look really hot in that suit . . ." Her eyes widened comically as the implications of her words set in. "No, wait. I didn't mean it like that, I mean, not that you aren't, but you just looked . . . warm, yeah, yeah, uncomfortable so I thought this might -"

Kurapika took the glass bottle from her white-knuckled hand and gave her a bright smile in return. "Thank you, Neon. I must admit a suit isn't exactly my outfit of choice. It's a bit too formal for my taste."

The girl's eyes practically lit up. Just as planned. Neon might have been sheltered all her life, but clothes were something she was an expert in. Kurapika needed her entertained above all else for these next two days. She couldn't afford to let her plans go awry.

"Oh, I know just the place!" Neon chatted excitedly, going on to describe more than just one single place much to Kurapika's dismay. At least, she seemed happy, and if Neon was happy, then all her employees were as well.

Kurapika wasn't a regular employee, but she forced a smile on her face and resigned herself to listening to Neon's ranting about all the different clothes she'd have to try on the whole ride to the hotel.

"Are you alright?" Dalzollene asked as she got out of the car, looking visibly worn out.

She put her suit jacket back on, which she had shrugged off at one point because it was bloody irritating, causing Neon to blush madly and look away. A strange experience altogether, since Kurapika had no idea what was so peculiar about taking off your coat in the middle of the car ride. The dress shirt underneath definitely wasn't see-through, she'd checked.

"I'm fine," she sighed, fixing her tie again. "Just a little tired from the car ride, that's all."

The two walked around to the back of the car and opened the trunk where a large pile of luggage awaited them. Neon followed suit. Dalzollene gave her a surprised look.

"Um," Neon started, "I can carry some stuff too if you need my help."

Kurapika gave her a grateful smile, before turning back to the luggage. "That'd be much appreciated, Neon. Let's see." Something that wasn't too heavy, but not so light that it made her feel she wasn't needed. "Here." She picked out one of the smaller suitcases. Still, the girl almost toppled over from the weight, causing Dalzollene to almost have a panic attack right then and there. Kurapika placed a hand on her back to steady her, and that seemed to be all Neon needed to make it to the elevator. Nico caught up with them as well, with one, much more practical suitcase.

"Miss Neon," Dalzollene said, once they were safely contained within the elevator. "There are some more fortunes your father sent over."

Neon gave him a long, meaningful stare.

"Of course, he'll compensate by giving you a larger allowance!" he added quickly.

The girl assessed him critically, telling him to mind his next words. "How much larger?"

"He'll tack on another hundred thousand jenny!" he answered.

Neon looked up, as she weighed the costs and benefits of this little exchange. "Add in a Sephora all-you-can-buy gift card and we'll talk."

Nico snorted at her reply, and Kurapika herself had to try hard to keep the smirk off her face.

"That can be arranged," Dalzollene informed, sending a dirty look towards them, which Kurapika honestly found uncalled for since she had done nothing to get on his bad side.

Their blue-haired boss raised her arms in victory. "Okay! I'll write them when we get to our room!"

The elevator door opened and the four of them stepped out. Neon's assigned suite was merely around the corner, just as extravagant and luxurious as one would expect. Deep blue curtains hung in the windows, rippling like waves and allowing only the slightest of light to break through its water-like fabric. The floor was hardwood, though several plush, blue and green rugs were laid out. Kurapika found it looked much like a room in the ocean, and the sea-green walls only added to that effect.

A whistle interrupted her assessment. It wasn't hard to guess who'd just entered.

"Man! They weren't kidding when they called this place Poseidon's Cove," he said.

Ah yes, each of the twelve floors were named after the legendary Greek deities. Zeus was on the top floor, of course, and those rooms were designated for those at the summit of the top of the food chain: Royalty, presidents, other major politicians. Hera was for everyone directly below, such as major CEOs and the like. Poseidon was for people like Neon, even though her father owned the hotel, people who weren't quite as important but were too prominent to be ignored. The subsequent floors were mostly for up and coming businessmen, and some had actual functions. For example, many military folks went to either the Athena or the Ares floors. You could guess what Aphrodite's function was. Hint: It wasn't for business. Hestia was for family vacations.

A fascinating concept, Kurapika had to admit. Now, if only the owner stopped dabbling in the Mafia. Neon dragged her lone bag to her room, and Kurapika was about to follow suit when the girl's blood-curdling shriek reached her. They all dropped what they were doing and ran into the room, only to see a startled Neon sitting on the floor. She'd clearly fallen back due to the shock of whatever she'd seen. Kurapika followed her gaze. It wasn't difficult to spot what had caused her such dismay.

A young man sat on the window sill, carelessly, watching them with clear disinterest. He wore a black tank top and camouflage pants, looking much like a soldier. The boy possessed a muscular but slender frame and dark skin that one could liken to ground coffee beans, he wore his long, jet-black hair in a pony-tail. However, the eyes were what drew everyone to him, bright green against his skin. They seemed so familiar somehow.

"Noisy," he muttered, drowsily, and Kurapika guessed he'd just woken up from a nap.

Basho stepped forward, putting on his serious bodyguard face. "Who are you and what business do you have in being here?"

The man averted his eyes, well, more like rolled them.

"Well, I was sleeping before you barged in." That accent, that voice. Why was he so familiar to her? Kurapika eyed him closer, catching sight of a single gold thunderbolt hanging from a simple chain around his wrist. He was from Zeus' floor. That meant he was probably a world leader, or more likely the son or nephew of one. That must be why he was so familiar. Now, who was he?

"You didn't answer my first question," Basho continued.

"No, I didn't."

Kurapika could practically hear the last, loose thread of Basho's patience snap. He looked ready to lunge at the younger man.

"Why, you little -"

It suddenly clicked in her head. "You're the third Prince of Araulia, Prince Rohan."

"That's his highness to you," he corrected, haughtily, but acknowledged her intelligence anyhow. "At least one of you is well-informed."

"Aren't you . . . supposed to be surrounded by an entire entourage?" she asked.

He pouted. "Isn't it obvious? I ran away from them. They never give me any breathing space."

"You're hurt." It was Neon who'd spoken this time, her blue eyes fixed on the small scratch on his elbow. Kurapika had noticed as well, of course, but she had been a bit too preoccupied with putting his face to a name. The other girl asked one of her maids to bring some antiseptic and bandages. A bit much for such a small cut, but Kurapika figured it was her first time treating someone.

The girl crouched down next to his royal highness, and Rohan promptly started to blush.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, leaning away, but Neon gripped his arm and dabbed the antiseptic-soaked cotton ball on his 'wound', causing him to flinch a bit. Then, she took one of the band-aid squares and placed it neatly over the same spot. "Hmm," he raised his arm to his face, "you're very good at this, little peasant woman."

Neon grimaced, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "Peasant? I'm plenty rich, thank you very much! And I'm not just a woman! I have a name, y'know. It's Neon!"

"That's a strange name."

One could practically see the flames light up in her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"But I like it," he suddenly added, looking at his hand in wonder. "In fact, I find you quite interesting, Neon." The boy nodded, before jumping from the window sill and kneeling before Neon. It was almost as if he was going to propose. Which was completely ridiculous, they just met each othe- "I know it's sudden, but I would be honored if you would give me your hand in marriage." He took her hand. "And be my princess."

The hell?!

Silence filled the room, no one knowing precisely what to say.

"Heh?!" Neon asked, pulling her hand away. "Are you insane?!"

At that exact moment, the door to Neon's room was flung open.

"Your majesty!" a silver-haired man in uniform fell to the ground in front of him. "I'm so glad to see you in good health. Permission to criticize?"

The prince sighed. "Permission granted."

The man took a deep breath, before he started to thoroughly and utterly berate the prince. "What the hell were you thinking?! You can't just run off like that without any of us to escort you! It's dangerous!"

"It's not like it matters," he muttered. "I'm not even close to being first-in-line. No one would care if something happened."

The man seemed ready to burst with all that pent-up rage, hitting him with the hilt of his sword. "Idiot! You're the people's favorite, you know they love you!"

"Yeah."

"So stop complaining!"

He rolled his eyes.

"And what's this I hear about marriage?! You know you can't marry outside the kingdom!"

"So?"

"SO?!"

. . .

In the end, Prince Rohan of Araulia was removed from Neon's suite, but not before gifting her a strange necklace, a sign that royalty had claimed her. Claimed her! Like some kind of animal. That Prince would have to get through Kurapika before he could lay a finger on Neon.

"You're almost as overprotective as me," Nico commented, sitting down on the couch next to her.

Kurapika glared at him. "I'm afraid I don't see your point."

"Please, I know the signs," he scoffed. "That glare is reserved for angry, overprotective people."

She leaned back against the cushions of the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "How come you're not more upset about this whole thing?"

He shrugged. "Father would never allow it, and Neon seems less than excited at the prospect. He can't force himself on her. Above all, I can tell he's not a bad guy."

That was true, at least. The Prince was a brat and a spoiled one at that, but his heart was clearly in the right place. Maybe if he had asked her out on a date first, Kurapika might like him more.

"Is someone getting a little territorial?" Nico teased, edging closer to her with a cheeky grin on his face. She pushed it away with the palm of her hand.

"I'm her bodyguard. It's my job."

He smiled again, far too widely to be natural. "You know, it's not a crime to care about someone other than yourself, luv."

"I care about plenty of people, thank you very much," she snapped back, indignant. There was Gon, Killua, Leorio, Melody, Netero (sometimes), Chrollo, especially Chrollo. No, no, this was not the time to think about handsome, roguish significant others. Definitely not.

Nico placed his hands behind his back, letting them become a makeshift pillow. "Come to think of it, are you even in a relationship with someone?"

The look on her face contained all the answers he needed.

"Ah, so it's complicated," he surmised. "What happened? I'm guessing you probably never told them about your feelings?"

"No, no, I told him," she sighed, leaning her chin on her hands, and placing her elbows on her knees.

He gave her an incredulous look. "What man in his right mind would reject you?"

"Excuse me?"

He raised his hand. "You're gorgeous." He tacked off, one finger straightening as if it was a tally mark. "You're intelligent." Another tally. "You're funny on good days, scary on bad days, and over all just practically perfect in every way. I mean, look at this face." He said, framing her face with his hands.

"He didn't reject me."

"Oh," he said. "That's a shame."

She suddenly felt like hitting him on the head with a chair. Repeatedly.

"So, what happened?"

As if she would tell him. "We went our separate ways."

"Then why's it complicated?"

The blonde averted her eyes.

"Oh dear," he said. "What? He didn't want to come?"

"He wanted to."

"You didn't let him?" he asked. The blonde shook her head. "Should've known you'd be the type to make love overly complicated. I almost feel sorry for the guy. Well?"

"Well, what?"

"When are you going to get enough courage points to see the poor guy again?"

"I don't intend to ever see him again," she answered, emotionlessly. "As I said, we went our separate ways."

He smirked. "From what I've heard from Neon, he doesn't seem like the type to just let things go."

Kurapika froze.

"She told you about him?"

"Yeah, she's been having a hard time with it," the man said. "Chrollo Lucilfer, the very name makes him sound like some devil spawn."

This time, the blonde actually did hit him. A light punch to the elbow, but it still seemed to hurt him plenty.

"Then why'd you ask me about it?" she asked, a bit irritated by the fact that she'd been tricked.

He smiled, leaning in closer to the pretty avenger. "I wanted to see your reaction."

With an eyeroll, Kurapika pushed the impertinent man off the couch, and then stood up herself and whipped out her phone. She still hadn't called Komugi yet today. She wondered how she and Bahari were doing.

. . .

 **Next On Lions!:**

 **Chain Pair meeting. Auction day. Prince Rohan joins Kura, Neon, and Nico on their shopping trip as he insists on winning Neon's heart.**

 **(A/N: This was a quick chapter. I'm just building up for tomorrow's auction, which I'll actually probably be posting tomorrow or Saturday, so keep your eyes open. I've been waiting to write the Chain Pair meetup for a while because it also has Kurapika finding out that at least Uvo is a spider. Also, I hope you're excited about Neon's shojo romance because that's where this is going. I based the prince of Prince Rumaty in Hanasakeru Seishounen. Which looks like a typical harem but is actually a really cool political drama with a pretty strong female lead - she falters a bit at the end in my opinion.)**

 **Question of the Day: What would you like Chain Pair to do on their date tomorrow?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **MedusaLegend: I'm glad you haven't given up on this story yet! Nico is more cunning and intelligent than most give him credit. He puts on a mask of playfulness but in the end, he's still a mafioso's son. He's no Chrollo, but he's not stupid. Eventually, Nico and Neon might drag Kurapika so far into their plans that she won't have time to kill the Phantom Troupe. And now Nico's pushing her to go back to Chrollo. Thanks for reviewing and reading!**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Everyone gets character development in my stories. Saffy, all the canon characters, Nico, eventually Prince Rohan. I am the queen of character development. Roro won't get character development, but we'll understand his motives more when the climax occurs. Gon knows things. And as for Chrollo's plan. He's planning on using the people Kurapika cares for the most to break down her walls by a) being good friends and b) trying to convince her not to go through with her revenge and reminding her she has people waiting for her here as well. And then he'll swoop in and remind her she has a future here and that it's possible for her to forget. Will this work? Probably only for a few seconds, but hey, who knows? Thanks for reviewing and reading and I hope to hear from you soon!**

 **guest: I'm glad you like flustered Neon. I feel like that's the main emotion she feels most of the time. Poor girl. She gets better eventually due to the character development. Killugon is pure and must be protected. I should make a question of the day where you guys have to tell me your favorite line in the series. Chrollo's got plans and everyone in York New city act as his pawns. Nico's got plans too, and he's actually planning to double-cross his father. I dunno, it looks to me that Kurapika attracts cunning bastards. Remember that Kurapika has a tendency of sub-consciously letting down her guard around Chrollo as well. Also, you're right, not everything will go according to Chrollo's plan. I'm sure Roro's scheme will get Chrollo plenty riled up. That AU idea is amazing and I'll probably right it one day. I only care about Kura's team, Leo, Theta, and the Zodiacs getting out of there alive. And maybe Ging. Pariston can die. I'm sure he'll probably enjoy the prospect of being killed. Thanks for reviewing and see you next time!**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: I hope you liked this little chapter, and I hope you find it in your hearts to leave a review, favorite and follow.**


	10. Of Reunions and Kisses

**(A/N: Yeah, Neon's bisexual. Remember when she described Chrollo as 'absolutely gorgeous' in chapter 12 of NAPP! Kurapika was the first person she got a real crush on, though. She never really found living humans too interesting)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 10:**

 **Of Reunions and Kisses**

"I understand," Kurapika started, taking in the scene before her. "That it's hard to say no to royalty. But really, Basho, you could've at least waited until the rest of us woke up to make this decision."

The man had the gall to look like a guilty puppy as he sat on the couch in front of the towering Kurta. "Sorry, but he just looked so sad."

"Do not blame the pompadour man, scary blonde woman," the boy Prince said, surveying the room in search of a certain blue-haired girl. "Where is Neon? I wish to speak with her."

Kurapika glared at the Prince. "She's sleeping. Give her time to rest. Yesterday was a long day for Neon."

The man pouted, like a dog missing its master, before falling into one of the sea-themed armchairs. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I decided to see her again as soon as possible. How long can someone sleep?"

"The record is two hundred sixty-four hours which roughly translates to eleven days," Kurapika responded, unable to pass up a chance to answer a question.

"I do not think she will sleep that long," the Prince decided.

The other bodyguards watched helplessly as their arguably most-skilled coworker butted heads with the Prince of one of the richest nations in the world. Kurapika didn't like the Prince for some reason. It seemed she thought he had impure intentions towards Neon.

"What's going on?" a tired voice asked. They all turned to see a blue-haired girl, still dressed in her pajamas and her hair, for once, let down to fall where it may. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Oh, it's the guy from yesterday."

The Prince smiled charmingly and took her hand in both of his. "Hello, Miss Neon. I just wanted to apologize for scaring you yesterday and offering a proposal so quickly. I read up on the subject last night and learned that in the United States of Saherta, it's uncommon for a man to propose when they first meet the woman they wish to wed. In which case, I would like permission to court you instead."

The boy sure talked a lot.

"I think that's a great idea." It was Nico who spoke this time. He'd been sitting rather quietly the whole morning, watching the scene unfold. One thought ran through Kurapika's mind: What was he planning? Could it be something along the lines of getting his sister out from under his father's influence? After all, Araulia had zero ties to any sort of Mafia, finding any sort of corruption a crime against the state. Which also meant the law was the definition of strict. If by some twist of fate, Neon and Rohan did get married . . . her father would no longer be able to use her. And they wouldn't have to wait for him to die. In fact, with Nico's influence, they might even go legit.

From that standpoint, the courtship between these two would be beneficial to both sides.

That was only if the Prince didn't decide Neon wasn't who he was looking for and stopped pursuing her. Back to Plan A in that case.

"I suppose," Kurapika started, closing her eyes in the way she often did when she had to make a decision she would prefer not to have any part in, "if Neon herself has no objections. Then, a courtship isn't too much to ask."

. . .

" _A courtship isn't too much to ask."_

She'd said that so easily like it didn't matter at all to her if Neon started dating someone, or married them, or anything at all. Which shouldn't come as a surprise since Kurapika had made it clear she only had eyes for Mr. Lucilfer, but still . . . a part of Neon had trusted that she wouldn't just allow someone else to have her so easily. That a part of Kurapika felt at least something for her.

But, in the end, she really was just her Boss and Kurapika was just her bodyguard.

The door to her room creaked open.

"Go away."

She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Not Kurapika, not anyone.

"I brought tissues," her brother said, closing the door behind him quietly. Neon didn't even spare him a glance, opting to stay in her fetal position as the tears continued to flow. He placed a hand on her shoulder and Neon couldn't even find it in herself to push it off.

"I thought," the fortune teller started, her voice thick with tears and a broken mended heart, "she cared for me, or was starting to. God, I'm such an idiot." She hiccuped. "She never cared. She just wanted to keep her job."

She heard him sigh and then he took her by the shoulders, forcing her to sit up. "Enough, Neon. You're stronger than this. Feeling sorry for yourself won't change anything. Do you really want Kurapika to see you like this?"

"Will that get her to care?" she whispered, averting her eyes. The thought itself was embarrassing. When had she fallen so far?

He just smiled, as if she'd just told a grand joke. Was it so ridiculous that he couldn't even take her seriously? "Silly," he said, handing her a tissue, "she already cares about you. Just not in the way you want her to, I suspect."

Why was he telling her things she already knew?

"She's not the only person you'll ever fall in love with, Neon, and someday one of those people will love you back," he reassured, cupping her cheek.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because a bloody Prince just proposed to you, and I personally think you two have a chance."

"I don't love him, though." She couldn't date someone she didn't love.

"Did you instantly fall in love with Kurapika when you met her?"

She thought back to their first meeting and the answer came as a resounding no. Back in that cave, the only impression she'd had of Kurapika was that she was scary but cool. Kind of like the eyeballs of a Kurta or something. She hadn't even thought of her as a human.

The girl shook her head.

"Then why would this be any different?" he asked, ruffling up her blue hair. "By the way, ol' Princey's joining us for the shopping trip."

"EH?!" What was she supposed to talk to him about?

. . .

Neon felt his eyes on her and she felt the butterflies start up. It was the first time someone had been so forward in their intentions towards her. Sure, there had been plenty of men and women who'd confessed their feelings for her, but it was the first time someone had said it in the first five minutes and really meant it.

"Come," he said, taking her hand and dragging her out. From the corner of her eye, Neon noticed Nico and Kurapika holding Basho back from trying to charge at the Prince.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere away from them," he answered. That somewhere turned out to be in the courtyard of the hotel.

She nearly ran into him when he slowed down. "Why'd you drag me out here?"

"I don't like being supervised. I'd like our relationship to be private," he explained.

"We're not in a relationship," she reminded.

He gave her a dashing grin, green eyes glowing with mirth. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted that he was one of the most beautiful men she'd ever seen. "But we will be soon."

"How can you be so confident?" she suddenly asked, forehead contorted in confusion. All Neon had ever encountered with love was insecurity. How could he be so certain she'd fall in love with him?

"I have nothing else," he answered.

"You're a Prince."

"I'm a spare, and a second one at that."

Neon found she couldn't really say anything to that. He seemed so sad. What would Kurapika do? What would she say? In all the time spent observing the blonde, and sometimes being lectured about being a good leader by her, she'd picked up a few things. Yes, she'd say something to raise him up. Now, to find the words? She'd felt inadequate before as well when compared to Nico. Nico was the intelligent one, the one with the silver tongue and business-oriented mind. He was the one who'd take over one day, but . . . that didn't make her a backup plan, that made her free.

"I've only known you for a day and I know that's not true. So what if you're third-in-line. That just means you're not tied down to someone else's destiny." Oh, she was not an airhead! She was a born business person, her father's daughter through and through!

"Duck."

"What?" That wasn't what she'd been expecting. More along the lines of 'huh, I've never thought of it like that,' or, 'you're a lot smarter than they give you credit for.' Not, 'duck.'

"Duck!" he yelled again, forcing her to the ground just as the sound of a gun going off rang through the air. The Prince gazed down at her, worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, a bit breathless from the fall. Heat rushed to redden cheeks as the proximity of their faces sunk in. Both of them jolted away from each other. Rohan focused back on the black-clad assassins or lack thereof. They'd gone into hiding again. They could attack from any place. At any time. Oh god, where was Kurapika when she needed her?

The Prince got to his feet, glaring at the yards of greenery in front of him. "Cowards. Bringing you into this," he muttered, hands clenching into white-knuckled fists.

"Who are they?" For all they knew, they could be after her because she was a Nostrade and not the potential girlfriend of the third Prince of whatever-its-name-was.

"A rebellious faction. They want to abolish the monarchy, so they figured it would be best to just wipe us from the face of the earth entirely, and put in their own men at the front," he explained.

"How do you know it's them?"

"The uniforms. They have a bird insignia on the back of their jackets."

They sounded more like a biker gang than a rebellious group of murderers. Another gunshot and Neon didn't hesitate to duck this time.

"Neon!"

Kurapika. Neon gazed over at the other side of the garden where a pretty blonde in pristine, black suit and her brother stood.

"No, wait! They're hidden!" she screamed, dodging another bullet. Kurapika seemed to understand because a few seconds later, she'd jumped onto one of the balconies of the hotel. A minute later and she pounced, like a lioness ready to capture her prey. One of the men tried to shoot at her, but she caught the bullets and knocked the gun out of his hands, striking down the assailant with one fluid motion of her chains. The other men fell one after another, as both Neon's guards and Rohan's aides appeared.

Nico was by Neon's side almost immediately, hugging her tightly. "You're gonna give me a heart attack someday, I swear."

"Who were those people?" Kurapika asked Rohan.

Rohan turned to her, "are you familiar with The Living Phoenix?"

Kurapika's eyes widened with recognition. That terrorist group? They'd followed him here? Furthermore, how could he have been so foolish as to allow himself to go somewhere unaccompanied?

"Did you know they'd come here?" she asked.

"No. They are such an obscure group, they do not have this sort of power," he replied, eyes dark and haunted.

Kurapika understood immediately. "You think they're being funded?"

The Prince nodded. "I will have to return as soon as possible," he mumbled. "My father has to be informed of this obstruction."

"Do you have any suspects?"

He shook his head. "It is not my specialty. I am the fun one, I have little in the way of political power."

"I see."

"Your majesty," said the same gray-haired, middle-aged man from the other day. He got down on his knees. "Permission to nag!"

"Permission granted," he said, distractedly, mind still racing.

The man took him by the shoulders. "Are you injured anywhere, your majesty!? The medics are right behind us!"

"I'm fine."

"Oh," said the man, looking like the weight of the world had been removed from his broad shoulders. And then? Then, he hit the boy on the head.

The Prince raised his hands to cover the spot that was hit. "OW! What do you think you're doing, old man!?"

"I'm punishing you for being an egotistical brat. Do you have any idea how dangerous this was?"

The two of them started arguing about Rohan's idiocy, and the others in the garden couldn't help but laugh. Except for Kurapika, who was still trying to figure out what to do with all the unconscious assassins currently in the garden. Calling the police was the smart thing to do, but then they might send more people. Or even worse, Prince Rohan's location might be revealed. He was incognito here for a reason.

"Ohohoho, is someone starting to worry about Princey here?" Nico whispered in her ear, as he recognized the split-second worried look she'd cast the prince.

"Don't talk to me. I'm thinking."

. . .

Kurapika eventually ended up threatening the hell out of the policemen, complete with death glares and the pure hatred she usually saved for the Spider.

Speaking of the Spider, she had gotten so worked up over the attempted assassination that she'd, for a second, almost forgotten about her revenge. And it didn't bother her half as much as it should have. She spun her chain around, watching the metal turn into a sort of helicopter. Watching it reminded her of what she came here for and what had caused her to get distracted. She needed to stop caring so much.

"What's with you?" Nico, who was walking beside her, asked.

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Someone just hit on you and you didn't react by punching them in the face," he explained, pointing at a wealthy-looking man about her age who was currently nursing an ugly purple bruise on his cheek. "I had to get rid of him for you."

Kurapika tipped her head to the side. "Oh. Thanks." And then she kept walking. He quickly matched her pace.

"Are you sure you're alright? It's not like you to daze off," he continued, worriedly, but then a sneaky smirk spread across his face. "Thinking about a certain demon spawn, are we?"

Demon spawn? Oh right, that was what he called Chrollo. The feeling of crippling loneliness shot through her again. The phone in her pocket grew warm, practically yelling at her to just call the man and get rid of this feeling once and for all.

"I am now," she sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. What was he doing now, she wondered. Was he doing alright? Was he still working for Netero? Too many questions she wasn't willing to get answered.

"Why don't you call him?" Nico asked. "It couldn't hurt."

Wrong. It could hurt. That man had too much influence over her. As it was, her will for revenge had faded away considerably. Who knew what would happen if she met up with Chrollo after all this time. Would she be able to keep on devoting her entire being to revenge? Her mind and heart seemed to agree on this one.

No.

And that scared her. No, it terrified her. When had her resolve begun to weaken so? She couldn't remember. Probably when she started caring for others again. It started with Leorio. Then Gon and Killua. Finally, Chrollo waltzed into her life and she came so very close to throwing her revenge out the window and giving him everything. But she didn't. And now her targets were coming nearer and she found herself caring so little.

This was why she had isolated herself in the first place. Broke off all connections with her friends and Chrollo. She hadn't thought about becoming friends with her boss and her brother.

Bloody hell, she'd been an idiot.

At least she noticed it in time. She just had to put up her walls again. No problem.

"We can stop here for lunch," Neon said, pointing to a small cafe across the street. "I heard their food is really good."

 _Le Deux Palais._

It sounded familiar, somehow. Though she was certain she'd never been there. The black and gold roof did nothing to stir her memory, neither did the table sets outside. It was just something in that name.

The four of them - eight with Rohan's bodyguards - made their way to the cafe and the moment they walked in, it all clicked. It wasn't any particular face, or even the paintings on the wall. It was the box one of the customers carried out with them. The exact same box that had held that blueberry pie.

This was the cafe Gon and Killua had gone to prior to their visit with the Kurta. The cafe where Kurapika had guessed they met Chrollo at.

Well, there was nothing to be worried about. It wasn't like he'd suddenly show up out of nowhere in this exact same place at the exact same time they were to come.

The man in front of them turned around, away from the dazed cashier, and Kurapika's usually stoic heart nearly leapt out of her chest, whether it be out of fear or longing, she wasn't certain.

No.

No.

Nononono.

"Hello, Kurapika." That voice. The voice she'd been so close to leaving behind. It flooded her senses so easily, it was almost laughable.

Her heart started beating erratically, and she took a step back. The once fearless Kurta suddenly felt like running away. And if there was one thing Kurapika didn't do, it was run away. The blonde dug her heels in and forced herself to stay completely still, her face impassive as she gazed at the handsome man before her. He'd dressed casually that day, in black jeans and an unbuttoned dress shirt. Thankfully, he had a gray tank top underneath that, otherwise, Kurapika would've . . . well . . . she'd certainly do something and it would have been quite a terrible fate, she'd make sure of that.

"So, this is what they mean when they speak of sexual tension," the foolish Prince said, gazing at them with a look in his eyes akin to that of a person who'd just got a question answered in a most unexpected way.

Chrollo chuckled, and Kurapika almost relished the sound. But then, she cut herself off. No. No relishing in anything. She was supposed to be avoiding him for goodness' sake. She just had to get out as soon as possible. After that, she could just pretend that nothing happened and forget about him. Just like before.

"Here's your order, sir," the cashier said, handing him a paper cup filled to the brim with coffee. "Enjoy." Good. Maybe she wouldn't have to bail after all. He'd do that for her.

Chrollo turned back to the woman with a dashing smile. "Thank you, Miss." He turned back to Kurapika. "Did you like the pie?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you," she said, and her voice came out so meek and quiet that she wasn't even sure if she was the same person anymore.

"Join me for lunch?" he asked, walking towards the door as if expecting her to just follow him.

She crossed her arms, not moving an inch. "I'm on duty."

And then, she was pushed in his direction. Quite literally, too. Nico had moved behind her and gave her a shove, causing her to nearly bump into the other man. She turned to glare at him.

"I'm giving you the day off," he informed, waving her away. "Off you go. And don't do something ridiculous like coming back before the day is through. That's an order."

She stared at him for a second, processing his words. The boy was ruining all her plans! How come she had to have such a meddling boss?

Familiar fingers came to intertwine with hers, and she was suddenly pulled out of the cafe.

"Hey!" she protested. "I didn't agree to this!"

His fingers loosened and then he released her hand. "It's your choice if you want to come or not. Feel free to go back if you want."

He continued walking, and Kurapika felt her temper reach its boiling point. The man decided to tell her this now when they'd both walked out of the shop. The nerve! Well, whatever, she needed to head back. Her lunchtime was fleeting.

Her steps halted, and she found herself looking back behind her to the receding figure of the man she cared so deeply for. The next few seconds were spent with her rational side arguing with her romantic side over where to go for lunch. For lunch! She might be met with a premature death by revenge and she was feeling conflicted over who to spend lunch with!

 _You know what will happen if you go to him now, Kurapika. You'll fall right back into his web, and this time, you might not be able to get out._

 _Well, yes, but it isn't really about if you will get caught in the web, but rather if you want to be caught in it._

She didn't. Well, she did. Oh shit, he was getting away! She had to make a decision.

She ended up not making a real decision at all, rather, her body acted on its own in a moment of hysteria and followed the man. When she reached him, the man had a smug smile on his face.

"You shall not speak of this," hissed the Kurta.

The smile turned into a grin. "Of what? Your little war with your own self? It was rather amusing, to be honest. Kind of like a one-woman show."

"I hate you."

"I know," he said, taking her hand once more. "It's rather endearing, honestly."

She grimaced. "You better be taking me somewhere good."

. . .

He did. Oh, did he ever. It was an upscale restaurant fit for a dinner date, not lunch. He'd gotten them a table on the lavish rooftop, dotted with white tables and chairs, drenched in the afternoon sunlight.

"Impressed?"

A bit but she wasn't about to let him know. "It's alright."

He chuckled a bit, before leaning down and planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Your table awaits," he whispered in her ear, taking her hand and leading her to a table right next to the edge. The meal came shortly after they ordered, and Kurapika, who was starving, quickly dove into her soup.

"Do you think whatever you've got planned for dinner can top this?" she asked.

Chrollo spun his spoon around in his own bowl of soup. "I certainly hope so. In any case, you're mine for the rest of the day. I might as well try to make it an enjoyable one."

What happened to his usual teasing? He seemed so distant all of a sudden. Was it because she'd ignored all forms of communication for the last three months? Surely, he understood this was simply for the sake of her goals. She couldn't have him distracting her.

"Chrollo," she started. The man raised his dark gaze to focus on her face and she felt the words die on her lips. "Nevermind."

"Finish eating. We don't want to fall behind schedule, now, do we?"

What schedule?

. . .

He dragged her to the pier after lunch. They found a nice place on the expansive deck and sat down with their legs hanging over the ledge.

"I promised to take you to see the ocean one day," he'd said. She, of course, replied by saying that she'd already seen the ocean several times. He didn't care. Apparently, seeing it with someone you love would change your entire perspective.

The Kurta gazed at her reflection in the water, and for a second, she saw her old self in the water. That cheerful, albeit a little hot-tempered, thirteen-year-old who'd set off to see the world she knew nothing about. The illusion faded almost as quickly as it'd come. "The water's so much clearer than I thought it would be."

"Hmmm," Chrollo hummed from beside her. They were separated by just a few inches of air. A few months ago that gap would've been non-existent.

"How did you know I'd go to that restaurant?" she asked.

He smiled a bit sheepishly, and it could possibly be the first time she'd considered him adorable. Chrollo Lucilfer was a lot of things: Handsome, intelligent, refined, elegant, roguish, playful, and dare she say it, sexy, but not adorable.

"I might have been planning it out for a couple weeks now. Getting Neon and her brother on board without having them spill the beans was rather difficult -"

"You got Neon and Nico in on this?" asked the Kurta, incredulously.

"Yes. Pay attention, Pika-chan." Well, at least he was back to teasing her. That didn't stop her from glaring at him. But instead of shrinking back like he should've, he leaned closer. "Anyway, I also made sure you were properly longing for yours truly before I came in."

Bastard. "You shouldn't mess with a young woman's emotions."

He smiled fondly. "Well, I had to make sure you chose me in the end."

"Here I thought you trusted me," she whispered. They were whispering now. Whispering was never good. Or was it? She wasn't sure what she wanted at this point?

That wasn't true. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to be with him.

With that thought, the blonde closed the gap, shutting her lips on his, and it was clearly what he'd planned. His tongue slid against her bottom lip, coaxing her to open up. She didn't. Oh sure, she had been the one that initiated the kiss, but that didn't mean she was going to let it go any further.

Yes, she was aware she wasn't making any sense. She didn't care.

"Kurapika," he mumbled against her lips. "Let me in."

She pursed them close. No amount of heated whispers were going to convince her.

Chrollo was having none of that ridiculousness. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him, eliciting a small gasp from the woman. His free hand went up to caress her cheek, as he explored the familiar territory.

"Heh?! They're doing weird things, mom!" a young boy's voice reached them, and Kurapika quickly pushed Chrollo away. She'd forgotten where she was. The Pier was a giant tourist attraction. There were always people here.

The boy's mother quickly scolded the boy and led him away, blushing a bit at seeing something so intimate.

Chrollo chuckled at her embarrassment. "I suppose we both forgot ourselves." He offered her a hand, which she ignored. She didn't need help standing up, dammit. "C'mon. We can finish what we started later."

"Somewhere a little more private this time, please?" she asked, burying her head in his shoulder.

He tucked her into his side instead, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. "As the lady wishes."

. . .

They went grocery shopping next. They didn't make out at the grocery store, thank goodness. Chrollo was apparently planning to take her to his penthouse apartment for dinner. A dinner that wasn't even close to being made. By careful calculation of all the ingredients, she gathered they'd be making some sort of pesto dish. Chrollo wouldn't confirm anything though. He was annoying that way.

Then he took her into some alley and teleported them to the front door of his apartment, because neither of them was risking carrying the groceries in this heat.

The interior of the penthouse was painted a standard off-white, but she could tell Chrollo had put in some personal touches into his living quarters. Like the many bookshelves lining the walls. Of course, the outer walls were made of glass. There was a spiral staircase leading to what she could only guess were the bedrooms.

"How much does this thing cost?"

"Around a hundred thousand Jenny per month," he answered, casually. Kurapika nearly dropped the groceries in her hands.

She stared at him. "How can you afford that?"

"I'm rich?" he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I work two jobs remember. Three, if you counted my bodyguard job."

The kitchen also looked expensive, as did the utensils. Chrollo walked in behind her, laughing a bit at her gaping face.

"You work for the Mafia," he'd reasoned. "Surely, you've seen insanely expensive things before."

That didn't mean she wasn't shocked every time she saw something like this. The Kurta Clan were all middle class folk with humble dwellings but happy souls, as her mother termed it. After the massacre, Kurapika had lived on and off the streets, doing odd jobs from time to time to make sure she didn't have to become a thief to make ends meet. In any case, three years of poverty, and thirteen years of normalcy, and then another two years that she'd spent under Leorio's guidance which was expected. Though, it wasn't really the pricy items, it was the fact that Chrollo was the one who possessed them. She knew he was well-off, she hadn't known he was gazillionaire status.

"Bring me the linguini?" he called, as he put a pot of water on the stove and brought it to a boil. Kurapika cut off the top of the package and handed it to him. "Alright, let's start on the sauce. The recipe is on the countertop."

Kurapika quickly found the yellow paper and she recognized the name immediately.

"Pesto Trapanese," she whispered.

He brought out the food processor. "Your favorite."

Her parents always used to make it for her. Even her mother, Yuka, couldn't mess this dish up, so she jumped at the opportunity to make it. Her father would be too paranoid to let her go at _his_ kitchen, so they always ended up doing it together.

Something between a laugh and sob escaped her throat, and Chrollo was beside her in a minute, brushing her cheeks.

"You're crying," he whispered, framing her face.

"Am I?" she asked, voice quiet and sad and happy all at the same time. Not a trace of that anger she'd grown so accustomed to feeling when she thought of her family. And in that moment, she felt a bit guilty for tainting the only memories of her comrades with her own anger. But only for that moment, before she reasoned there was no reason to feel in such a way.

"We can make something else if you'd like?"

She shook her head. "No, it's perfect. I just . . ." she sighed.

"Well, in that case," he started. "Rinse some of those basil leaves for me. About two cups should do it. And the tomatoes. All of them."

The Kurta raised an expectant eyebrow. She wasn't a maid.

"Please?"

She smiled approvingly and got to work.

. . .

"Well," he asked, looking almost excited to see her reaction to her first bite. "How is it?"

She kept her face straight and unimpressed as she chewed, despite the fact it was delicious and a completely perfect recreation of her parents', before nodding and giving him a stoic, "adequate."

"That is high praise," he nodded, seriously. The Kurta rolled her brown eyes. It felt good to finally take those contacts out. She didn't like having to hide her Scarlet Eyes, but she preferred hiding them than having them possibly gouged at the moment of her death.

"Did I tell you about the Prince yet?" she asked.

"About a hundred times, but I'm willing to sit through it for the hundred and first if it makes you happy."

"It does."

"Do your worst."

It felt good to complain to someone after all this time. Chrollo really did put her at ease. Which was terrible, of course. And after today, she'd leave and never look back.

"Well, he sounds absolutely awful," Chrollo agreed with mock wholeheartedness.

Kurapika nodded, opening her mouth to say something more, but the words never got out. Or perhaps the fading sun had captured them.

"Wow," she whispered, staring at the brilliant myriad of scattered colors painted across the darkening sky.

"Penthouses have great views, hmm," said Chrollo, standing up. "Would you like to go out?" He took a remote off one of the black coffee tables. The glass wall suddenly started to slide upwards. The Kurta gave him a confused look. He responded by walking right past where the glass wall should've been.

Kurapika, being understandably terrified for his life, quickly caught up to him, stopping at the place where the visible floor ended and realizing that Chrollo wasn't hurling down to his death like he was supposed to be.

She looked closer, and registered there was a second floor attached to the one she could see.

Chrollo reached out his hand to her and she took it, before tentatively placing one foot forward.

"It's no magic carpet ride," he said, his fingers still woven with hers, warm against her always for some reason colder skin. "But it's as close as we're going to get."

Magic carpet ride?

She groaned, covering her eyes with her hand. "I can't believe you remember that."

"Oh, I remember everything," he reassured, a sly grin on his face.

"No," she whined.

And he obviously just had to continue teasing her. "You always hoped to find someone who'd take you on that magic carpet ride across the world. Flying over everyone else, avoiding traffic, not having to pay for fuel."

"Stop," she begged, though some traitorous laughter made its way into her voice. The Kurta could tell her face was burning and she quickly buried it in her hands.

He tucked some golden hair behind her ear. "So, Princess? Did you ever find your Aladdin?" His hands took hold of hers to reveal her face.

Tilting her head to the side, she replied, "perhaps."

He pecked her on the lips once, twice, thrice, before finally claiming them as his. The message was clear.

 _I'll turn that into a 'yes' soon enough._

She'd like to see him try, and a part of her almost wanted to see him succeed.

. . .

For god's sake, even the water in this place looked expensive. Kurapika turned off the fancy shower head, and slipped out, drying herself and then putting on that one-size-fits-all bathrobe. It stopped just a few inches above her knee, but she figured she could live with that. After wearing that demon dress Neon had forced her to put on, everything else seemed to be rather modest in comparison.

Now, to find the spare bedroom.

She spent a good five minutes searching for said spare bedroom with no luck. Then again, Chrollo probably didn't invite a lot of people here. Well, she'd just have to ask him if there was another place she could sleep.

"Another place?" he'd repeated when she walked into his room with just that question in mind. She had forgotten he liked to sleep without a shirt on. Thankfully he was mostly facing away from her, so she barely caught any glimpse of that toned chest.

"Yeah," she said, taking the time to observe her surroundings. The slight bluish walls, the books lining them. The dim light cast across the room. The Queen sized bed that was truly too big for one person. "Like a couch, or something."

He considered it. "Why don't you stay with me for tonight?" The man pat the spot beside him.

"Excuse me?"

"Stay here."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"We've done it before."

Yeah, but never in your house. It just felt like something was meant to happen. Something she wasn't sure she was ready for.

He just smiled understandingly, standing up. "I can sleep on the couch in that case. You take the bed."

Oh, now he was just making her feel guilty.

"No way, I want the couch."

"You're not sleeping on the couch. You're a guest." He sidestepped around her.

"Well, neither are you," she said, pushing him back into the room with a hand to his sternum.

"Fine, then we both sleep in the bed."

"Fine."

And she stomped over to the bed and promptly collapsed onto it.

"Try anything and I'll murder you in your sleep."

"Yes, ma'am."

. . .

Was cuddling considered trying something, because in that case she should've murdered him a long time ago.

"It's strange," she started. "No one from the auction has called yet."

He stroked her hair, tightening the arm around her waist. "You'll see them tomorrow. You can see if they got the Eyes then."

"It's just that I told Basho to call me once they got the items. I'm kind of worried."

"We'll see in the morning," he yawned, bringing her even closer to him. "Go to sleep now, Pika-chan."

"Okay, I love you," she mumbled, sleepily, before sinking into an uninterrupted sleep. The Kurta never got to hear his reply.

. . .

 **Next on Lions!:**

 **Okay, now Kurapika officially figures out Chrollo's the Spider Head. Boy, you goin' down.**

 **(A/N: This got way too long way too quick. I was going to fit in a conversation about the Spiders in there, but I'll just do it next chapter when the lovebirds wake up. Anyway, sorry for the OOCness on Kurapika's end. The point is that she's always acting her age and being a happy, stress-free human being when she's with Chrollo. So, she's more-or-less just all around happier when the Chrollo from her childhood is here which will contrast a little bit in her relationship with Spider Chrollo. Also, her saying she loves Chrollo. The woman's tired, give her a break. Oh, and this was still published on Saturday. I am not a liar.)**

 **Question of the Day: How will Kura react to Chrollo's Spideriness?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **MedusaLegend: Of course, there is still chain pair going on. Lots and lotsa chain pair. Nico and Neon are just gonna stay her long-term friends. And yes, Rohan is definitely serious about marrying Neon. Thanks for reviewing and reading! Hope to see you next chapter!**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Men who are confident are definitely attractive. Yeah, Nico and Kurapika are gonna be BFFs by the time this ends. I'm glad you're liking the "permission" line because it's not getting away. Ahem, change of plans. Kurapika won't actually see Uvo in person. Chrollo's plan succeeded in that way. Also, how about public displays of affection and pretending to be husband and wife? That sound good? You're not dumb. Remember that. See that, remember it. You recognized Rohan was an Indian name. Props to you. Thank you for blessing me, loyal subject. Thank you for reviewing and writing and all that good stuff. Hope to see ya soon.**

 **guest: Hiya, Pika-effect fan. Poor Neon is far from immune to Pika-in-suits. I'm glad you're already liking Prince Rohan. He's a bit of a spoiled brat at times, but his kokoro is in the right place. Just you wait, he might end up winning Neon's heart after all. I mean he's a Prince who isn't afraid to show his affections for her. Give him a few weeks. Another point for the "Permission" line. I'm so glad you liked it. And the system for the hotel. I try to be both creative and faithful to the original HxH, so little things like that are my own ideas that I'll probably put into my own novels someday. Also, someone get KuroKura an Aphrodite room. Roro's coming soon so watch out. Also, KuroKura date. Tell me what you think in your review, please. They got a little further than a kiss on the forehead. Thanks for reviewing and I hoped you liked this chapter. See you next time.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Please review, favorite, and follow so others can find this story when they go browsing through the Archive.**


	11. Of Love and Betrayal

**(A/N: I've decided Kurtan is French now. Next chapter it might be Spanish. Whatever sounds the best at the time.)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 11:**

 **Of Love and Betrayal**

 _Kurapika found him by the river. He looked peaceful for once, almost happy, and that made her pretty happy too. The little Kurta skidded to a stop beside him._

 _"Hello, Kurapika," Chrollo greeted, eyes still captivated by the sparkling water. The little girl sat down and gazed down into the water, expecting to see something amazing, but all that she found was her own reflection staring back at her._

 _She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What are you looking at?"_

 _"The water," he answered, simply, still focused on the river._

 _"Why?" She saw nothing special about the water. It looked the same as always. Blue, clear, and drinkable._

 _He took some time to answer her, debating how to respond, like he always did with her. The Kurta sometimes wished he'd just say what was on his mind. It must have been really sad to always cover up what you were thinking._

 _"There isn't much water where I come from," he started, cautiously. "It's always calmed me down somewhat. Maybe it's the sound, or the color, or how the sun shines off it. It reminds me I'm alive."_

 _She had never thought of it like that. Brown eyes peered back into the water, and it suddenly seemed a little brighter, a little more lively. Mr. Chrollo certainly had a way with words. It's like he brought new life to ordinary things, suddenly making them seem irreplaceable._

 _She gasped._

 _That was it!_

 _"I figured it out!" she cheered victoriously, standing up and punching the air with her fist. "I know what your job is in the real world!"_

 _Mr. Chrollo finally looked at her with a challenging, playful smile. "Oh? And what would that be?"_

 _"You're an author!" she claimed, confidently, placing her hands on her hips because she was definitely right this time._

 _He sang, "wrong."_

 _The girl pouted and plopped back down on the riverbank, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was sure I got it right that time."_

 _"You'll figure it out someday," he reassured, petting her golden crown._

 _"You bet I will!" said the young Kurta, looking up at the sky like it'd give her the answer. "And when I do, you'll buy me a magic carpet!"_

 _"If you figure it out, I'll buy you two and a genie's lamp."_

 _The Kurta grinned, nodding fervently before a thoughtful look overtook her face. "I don't know what I'd wish for, though."_

 _"What do you most want in the world?"_

 _"World peace!" she said, not a doubt ringing through that statement. World peace was definitely the best!_

 _Chrollo chuckled again, before switching to a lying position, placing his hands behind his head. Kurapika followed suit._

 _"Wouldn't that be something," he mumbled, before switching to his usual tone. "Let's narrow it down a bit. No world peace. That's too grand a scale for even a genie."_

 _"Solving world hunger?"_

 _"Nope. Think about just your life. What would you change?"_

 _She shook her head. "I wouldn't change anything! Everything is . . . great," she faltered for a second, her face falling, and Chrollo knew she'd found her wish. "Except, I sometimes wish my eyes didn't turn red."_

 _Chrollo glanced in her direction._

 _"I wish none of us were born with the Scarlet Eyes," she continued, a bit faster. "I wish we didn't have to hide. I wish people didn't look at us differently. I wish we could just be_ **normal** _."_

 _"Enough." His voice was positively steely, it chilled her to the bone. Never before had she heard Mr. Chrollo get angry about anything, much less at her. What had she said? "Not another word."_

 _She sat up, eyes blazing red, vision tinted the same shade. "But it's true! If it wasn't for the Scarlet Eyes, we wouldn't have to hide - !"_

 _"They're a part of you, Kurapika," he cut her off, brushing her cheek, the spot right below her right eye. "If others have a problem with that, they're the ones in need of a change. Not you. And if someone does ever attack you, I'll make sure they pay."_

 _The poor girl looked ready to burst into tears, but then she fought them back and bit her lip hard. "Then . . . I have another wish."_

 _"What is it?" he asked, a little more harshly than intended._

 _"I want to see the world with Mr. Chrollo," she said, decisively._

 _He smiled again, and Kurapika felt relieved. "Now that, you don't need a wish for."_

. . .

Kurapika woke up the next morning alone, though she could still feel Chrollo's nen in the area so she decided she could lounge around a bit more. She felt surprisingly lazy that morning. The whole thing felt so natural. Falling asleep with Chrollo beside her, spending the day with him. It felt so right.

The panic rose up in her, engulfing her entire being until it finally forced her to sit up.

No. She was being selfish again. Her revenge, the eyes of her clan. That was all she needed. Chrollo didn't deserve to be dragged into her fate.

Even now, it was excruciatingly difficult to choose the right path.

She turned to get out of bed, her feet landing on the plush rug. Her clothes lay perfectly folded on the wooden nightstand, and she knew she wasn't the one who put them there. The Kurta grabbed her clothes and headed for the door. She just had to get to the bathroom, then go downstairs, tell him she really needed to be at work right now and check up on everyone and make sure her worry was convincing enough. Easy enough.

She opened the door, only to be met face to face with the very man she was trying to avoid.

Shit, not easy, not easy at all.

"You're up already," he said, cheerfully, and Kurapika nearly melted at the sound. Her resolve was already shaking. "I was just about to wake you for breakfast."

The girl pushed a strand of blonde her behind her ear, sheepishly. "I think I'll skip breakfast. Duty calls."

"Are you sure? They seemed fine yesterday," he said, still blocking her exit. "We don't want you starving on duty."

"I've been through worse," she said, a bit of nervousness seeping into her usually calm tone. "I just really want to see if they got the Scarlet Eyes, that's all."

He seemed conflicted, but then a smile flit across his face. "Alright then, Pika-chan." Oh dear. Not again.

He caught her wrist and pulled her closer, pressing his lips gently to hers. He went no further than simply brushing his tongue over her bottom lip, but it was nonetheless electrifying. His fingers loosened around her wrist and then he stepped out of the doorway.

"Have fun."

That was so easy. Too easy. Surely, he could've tried harder to keep her here. Not that she wanted him to try, but it still felt strange that he'd give up like that.

She shrugged mentally, heading to the bathroom, but then something on the dining room table caught her eye.

Blueberries.

Goddammit.

And she was really hungry too.

"Fine," she gave in, handing him her clean clothes, and walking down the spiral staircase, "I'll stay for breakfast, but that's all."

He smirked, "it's a deal."

The pancakes were delicious and the blueberries embedded in them were divine.

Chrollo chuckled as she gobbled them up. "Your one weakness."

"Shut up, you conniving bastard from hell," she said, glaring at him, before diving back into the pancakes. "You're lucky you're a good cook."

"I'm lucky I stocked up on blueberries."

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Here I thought you were letting me go."

"I will," he reassured her. "Once I'm sure you won't pass out in the streets from malnourishment. You're too young to be skipping meals. You've gotten skinnier."

"Never before have I been so aware of our age difference."

He smiled, fondly, before giving her a pensive look.

"What is it?"

He shrugged. "It's hard to believe this might be our last time together."

And just like that, the atmosphere shifted to something more melancholy. Kurapika found it hard to believe, sitting across from him now, still wearing the plush, white bathrobe and his scent still clinging to her. It felt surreal to think about never seeing him again after they just spent a day, a night, and a morning acting like some kind of married couple. As usual, the little voice in her head reminded her it didn't have to be her last time. Not with Chrollo. Not with anyone she loves. She could stay with them and give up on her vendetta, and that would be enough.

But there would be nothing left of her. What else did she have other than her revenge? It was the reason she'd lived this long. She had nothing else. Her friends, Chrollo, she couldn't have her life centered around them. She wasn't that kind of person. She needed a goal.

"Well," she said, trying to channel her inner Gon-like optimism. Which was rather difficult since she was a realist most of the time and a pessimist the rest. "It might not be. We both probably thought we'd never see each other after the massacre, but here we are. We have a way of finding each other again."

He gave her a small, forced smile. "Somehow, I don't think that would work this time." His voice held so much yearning and dread that Kurapika almost felt that last string of her resolve snap. She didn't want to lose anyone else. Chrollo, her friends, was she really that willing to throw them away for something as uncertain as her revenge? And what did she mean to gain from her revenge? What if she died? The Kurta line would end with her. The Kurta Clan wouldn't have come to its end due to the massacre but due to her recklessness.

Kurapika shut the thoughts down. She was past the point of no return. Turning back was not an option. She had the choice to leave behind her revenge and pursue some other course in the Academy. Regrets and doubts were normal, surely, she just had to stay strong.

"I want to show you something before you leave," Chrollo suddenly said, standing up and gesturing for her to follow. She did. Every second with him could be her last. She'd stretch it out as long as she could.

They eventually came to what looked like a vault hidden behind what looked like an ordinary wall. He pressed a few buttons on the control panel beside the vault, and the door slowly slid open. Her feet stayed planted to the ground, not daring to move closer.

"Mon Dieu," she muttered in Kurtan. "You've been collecting them."

She counted twenty pairs. Twenty pairs of vivid, beautiful Scarlet Eyes held in glass cases.

It was enough to make her sick to her stomach, but she couldn't look away. As if the ghosts of her comrades were staring back at her through them.

"Why?" she started, voice barely above a whisper and ready to break at any time, her whole body shook with the emotions she'd always kept locked away. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because you've been forgetting about them," he answered, not moving to come closer, to offer any meaningless words of wisdom or whisper sweet nothings in her ear. He stood there, cold and untouchable.

Kurapika's eyes turned a brilliant red, more spectacular than all their dead counterparts. How dare he?

"Forget?" she repeated, anger boiling over as she turned on him. "How could I? Every step I take in this world reminds me that I'll never be able to go back to them! That there's no home to come back to! That everyone I've ever loved is dead and it's all because a group of thieves thought our eyes were nice to look at!"

Her lungs expanded and contracted as she wound down.

"Feel better?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest. The woman nodded, pursing her lips as if to stop any further anger to slip through them. "Good. I suppose it's my turn to argue my case."

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, the hot-blooded woman allowed herself to lean into them.

"You remember the massacre," he continued, holding her tighter as she stiffened. "You remember blood and death, so you decided to avenge them, but wouldn't it make more sense to carry on their legacy. You're just angry, so angry that you'd throw the last of the Kurta Clan's memory under the bus."

Her eyes widened a fraction. "What would you have me do? You know I can't let go."

"Stay alive," he whispered, cupping her face. "Not for revenge, or your family, or your friends, or me. But for yourself."

He always did have a way with words. His obsidian eyes burned into her Scarlet ones, and before she knew what was happening, his lips fell on hers. The young Kurta twisted around for a more comfortable angle, and wrapped her arms around his neck, as their bodies were crushed together. One of his hands stayed clutching her hair, his fingers mingling with its honey strands. The other stayed around her waist, even when her back hit the wall behind her.

He pulled away, though not very far, his breath still brushing her lips. "So," he breathed, voice husky with desire. "What say you?"

She hugged him, placing her face in the edge of his neck. "I'll . . . consider it."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Don't get cocky."

He chuckled, and the sound made her almost smile. "I would never dream of it, Madame. I'll be here all week. Come whenever you like."

"What will you do if I say yes?" she asked, playing with his hair.

"I'll make you the best assortment of blueberry desserts in the world."

She laughed freely this time. "I blame my obsession on you." Because he'd been the one to introduce her to the super-powered antioxidants. Years ago, in the Kurta village, when he'd gone off on a week-long excursion to some city in the United States of Saherta, he came back with gifts for her and Pairo - who, other than her parents, were the only ones who knew of him at the time. One of those gifts happened to be blueberries, and her father had decided they'd make for delicious ice cream. After that, whenever Chrollo was about to go off on his little trips, Kurapika would beg him to buy the delicious fruit, which was unnecessary, since even when she forgot, he still bought them for her.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, making her shiver despite his warm breath. He planted a few kisses along her jawline.

"Mmm, I love you too," she mumbled, letting him do as he wished.

. . .

She still had to go to work, though. So, she eventually had to ditch the bathrobe and change clothes. Giving Chrollo one last, prolonged kiss, she walked out the door. The nearby lake glittered with the morning sunshine and she took a moment to take in her surroundings. They were still in YorkNew, but clearly, they were in the cleaner parts. The building towered above her in its glory and Kurapika caught sight of Chrollo going about his business on the last floor.

A smile spread across her face and she raised her hand. "Taxi!"

They stopped immediately. "Take me to Mt. Olympus hotel, please." She showed him her Hunter license.

"Understood."

She watched the scenery rush past her, finding herself in a surprisingly good mood. And how could she not be? Chrollo's words had put her mind at ease a bit. He had a point, she must admit. Her parents wouldn't have wanted this sort of life for her. Maybe, if she just collected the Scarlet Eyes, that would be enough. She wouldn't accept Chrollo's help, of course. Collecting the Eyes was most certainly something she'd prefer to do on her own. Not that that was very strange for someone with her personality.

"Thank you," she told the driver, before heading inside. And then, at the stairs of the hotel, she began to feel a little uneasy for some inexplicable reason. Her steps hastened as she reached the elevator and pressed the button for floor nine. As soon as she flung the door to the hotel room open, her suspicions were confirmed.

Things looked normal, but it was clear there was a gaping smile. Tocino and Baise were both gone.

"Kurapika!" Nico said happily, putting an arm around her shoulders casually. "So, how was your date?"

She turned to him, too confused to brush him off. "Nico. What happened while I was gone?"

He averted his eyes. That bad, huh?

"The auction was attacked," Neon answered, surprisingly casual about the whole thing. "Baise and Tocino were killed. No one inside made it out alive."

"It was thieves," Basho continued.

Kurapika silently gave a quick Kurtan prayer to her two departed co-workers, as was the custom, before addressing Dalzollene. "Did you catch them? Why wasn't I notified?"

"They got away. One of them killed four shadow beasts in a matter of minutes, and it even looked like he was stretching it out. The rest were found dead and Owl was captured. He had the items in his possession, so they probably tortured him to get it."

Weren't the shadow beasts the most powerful nen users in the mafia? Either they didn't live up to the hype, or their opponents were ridiculously overpowered.

"The Phantom Troupe is the main suspect."

Kurapika froze. "What?"

"We just go the posters in. Take a look. Do you know any of them?" Squala asked, handing her a standard sheet of paper covered with faces. She took it, expecting to see some formidable, monstrous faces, fit for a crime like the Kurta Massacre.

Her breath hitched and she held the paper so tight that it almost crumpled under her fingers. There were six faces printed and four of them she recognized. A large bulky man with gray hair that looked like it received a few bolts too many of electricity. Uvogin. A lean, muscular man with blond hair and green eyes. A perpetual smile she'd only seen on one other person. Shalnark. There was Machi, the pretty girl she'd met all those months ago in the Academy. She stared emotionlessly into the camera. Finally, Feitan, the short elf of a man with shoulder-length black hair and a mask over half his face.

But how? How could Chrollo know these people? How could he come in contact with them? Did he know? He couldn't have. That would mean he was in cahoots with the people who slaughtered her entire clan, subsequently ruining her life and forcing her into an existence centered around revenge and hatred.

He couldn't know. Chrollo had loved the Kurta clan. He'd spent time with them, laughed with them, brought them gifts. He'd been her best friend. That much sincerity and love and happiness. That couldn't be faked. Could it? Monsters like the members of the Phantom Troupe. They wouldn't hesitate to manipulate them to get what they want. They would gauge their strength and the things they cared about most, what made their eyes trigger. It made sense in that regard. In that case, he hadn't just murdered them, he had betrayed them as well. Betrayed her twice.

And suddenly the pieces started to fall together. They had called him 'danchou': A common name for a gang leader in Jappon. It was clear they took their orders from him. He'd spent all this time trying to get her to stop chasing them, but wouldn't it make sense for him to be the least bit angry that they massacred the only people that ever treated him as a human being. Sometimes, it almost felt he was trying to protect them rather than her.

He wasn't just a Spider, he was the Head of it.

She'd let him in. She'd been ready to give him everything. And he'd just been playing with her the whole time. It must've been hilarious to watch her fall for the very man who was the cause of her suffering.

Her hands shook with anger, and her chains tightened against the back of her hand, cold and hot at the same time, ready to strike at its victim like a deadly metal snake.

Dalzollene started speaking again. "As for notifying you, we did. Called, texted, we couldn't reach you all night. Then Nico told us you were off with your husband on a date, and not to ruin your night. I didn't know you had a husband."

"He's not my husband," she muttered bitterly, eyes still glued to the paper, instead of switching to glare at Nico for his transgression.

He wasn't anything anymore. Nothing but her enemy.

But he didn't know that yet.

She could use that fact to her advantage.

. . .

"You're going out again?" Nico asked from where he was washing the dishes after dinner. "Girl, you need to relax."

"I'll pass," she said, letting the door swing shut behind her. Her phone buzzed, and she felt a little bit of relief to know it was functioning properly again. This just confirmed that Chrollo and his Spiders must've hacked her phone somewhere through the course of the night. She should've been more careful around him, even if she hadn't known he was a Spider. That was no excuse. But she'd been so caught up in the world he made for her, caught up in the Chrollo from her childhood, that she'd clung to him, afraid to let go. He'd been one of her only ties left to the Kurta Clan, after all. Kurapika didn't want to lose anyone else.

She shook her head. You couldn't lose what you never had, and Chrollo was never hers to start with. That man was a spectacular actor, but in the end, acting was nothing more than pretense. He was faking.

She pressed the button on the intercom, waiting for him to buzz her in, keeping her face neutral for the camera. The signal came but a few seconds later, and she walked in casually, letting her footsteps hasten a bit as she left the elevator to show just how much she wanted to see him right now. Her knuckles met the wood of the door, and soon it opened to reveal Chrollo Lucilfer: her lover, her friend, and the man she wanted to destroy more than anything.

A warm, tender smile spread across his face as he looked down at her, and Kurapika felt the doubts spring up again. Look at that face! How could he be faking so much love in those eyes? He couldn't be that good, could he?

She squashed the questions down into oblivion. Anything could be faked. The only one you could trust was yourself and even then you couldn't be too sure.

He enveloped her in his arms and closed the door behind them, leaning against the door whilst still holding her tight, and she resisted the urge to shove him away and demand answers. There was no way he'd tell her if she revealed what she knew. She needed to interrogate him without letting him know he was being interrogated.

"I missed you," he whispered in her ear, and it made her shiver in disgust at the desire she no longer wanted.

She let an easy chuckle leave her lips, even as she felt the anger boil up inside her at the lie. "I was only gone for a few hours."

He released her, framing her face, and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Hmmm, that was long enough. I didn't expect you to come back here so soon though. What changed?"

"I . . ." found out you were the murderer of my entire clan and came here planning to interrogate and then kill you with my own hands because I **trusted you.** No. She couldn't say that. "Just really wanted to see you again."

"Well, you're in luck," he said, pushing her towards the dining room. "I made extra pizza for today."

She forced a teasing smile on her face, the kind she'd use before. "Homemade? You're kidding. You could never make a decent pizza back in the village."

"I've learned some things over the years," he said, confidently, as he picked up on of the slices of the pizza in the center and offered it to her. She took it gingerly, eyeing it skeptically for traces of poison. There was no reason for him to get rid of her eventually. It was even possible he already knew everything.

It looked clean, though. The crust was burned a little at the edges, but other than that it looked absolutely delicious. So, she slowly took a bite of the cheese-topped pizza and chewed.

"Color me impressed," she said, simply shrugging. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, and she almost found it adorable. Almost. But everything he did now was just a reminder of how she'd let herself be humiliated.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You seem tense."

Shit. He noticed.

She sighed, putting the pizza down and leaning against the cold wall. "I've been thinking about what you said this morning."

The man's face turned to a look of exasperated fondness, he walked over to her and cupped her cheek. "I told you to think about it. You shouldn't rush this sort of decision."

As if she didn't know that.

"I already made my decision," she whispered, putting her hand over his, luring him into a false sense of security like he lured her into every time they were together. "I know what I want."

"And what is that?" he asked, taking the hand over his and kissing it.

"I want to live," she whispered. "I want to see the world. With you."

That was all she had to say and all his inhibitions and possible doubts seem to fade. His lips met hers once again and it made her feel sick. Sick of how she melted into it, kissing him back without really needing to think about it. Because now it felt wrong, but the memory of when it felt right was still so fresh in her mind. For God's sake they had been making out this morning.

This morning. The Scarlet Eyes. Hadn't he sold them all? Why was he trying to get them back? Fury rose in her. He was probably going to use them to mock her when she was finally of no use to him. This was all a game to the Phantom Troupe Leader. The Head just wanted something to play with.

She had to talk about the other members, but when was she supposed to do that when she was currently being kissed senseless? At least they were on the couch. Always a good place to talk.

Wait . . . couch?

She'd been so caught up in her plans she hadn't even noticed when Chrollo had pushed her down onto the couch, lips still locked on hers. He was hovering over her at the moment. That would be disadvantageous if she decided to attack him now. So, Kurapika did what any ex-lover-turned-enemy-but-he-doesn't-know would do. She kissed him harder, throwing her arms around his neck, and switching their positions.

"Tell me," she whispered between kisses, trying her best to sound casual, while inside a part of her cried _'please. Just this once. Tell me the truth.'_ "How do you feel about me?"

Chrollo wrapped his arms around her. "I love you."

Something in her snapped. Lies. All of it. Love her? He would've murdered her five years ago if she hadn't been gone that day. He had manipulated, lied, schemed against her. What kind of love was that? That was nothing but the love of control.

She wouldn't let him control her anymore.  
"Hey," she started, recalling that time in the forest. "I think I finally figured out what your job is."

Her hands wrapped around his wrists like shackles. He just gazed up at her with that expectant gaze, like he'd known this would happen.

"You're the Leader of the Phantom Troupe."

One could've heard a pin drop in the silence followed, instead all they heard was the ticking of the clock and the sound of cars as they drove by outside.

"I am."

And there it was. The confession she'd been waiting for. Any doubts she previously had disappeared. There was nothing left but anger and bitter betrayal and she raised her hand, curled it into a fist, and let it connect with his face. Over and over and over, and it wasn't his response that threw her off, it was his lack of one. He just kept staring up at her with those gentle, dark eyes.

"Why?" she asked. "Why aren't you fighting back?"

His answer came swiftly and confidently. "Because I love you."

If possible, her eyes became even more Scarlet, but her hand froze in the air. "Don't give me that crap! Tell me the truth, goddammit!"

He easily reached up and took the hand in the air, before she was flipped over and pinned down.

"You can look at me any way you'd like. I've done enough to warrant any title, but don't you dare, for one second, believe what we have is fake," he said, voice chilling.

"What we had," she hissed, venomously. His eyes narrowed at the change. "Was a fabrication."

"I knew the whole time," said Chrollo. "That you found out -"

She cut him off. "Yes, we've already established that you're a fabulous actor. No need to rub it in."

"I would never hurt you," he continued.

"Ha!" she laughed, and it was high-pitched and hysterical. "You've already done so plenty of times by my count."

The broken look on his face was almost enough to make her hesitate.

"Every time you tried to force me to choose between revenge and you. Every time you lied to me. Every time you manipulated me into believing I was in the wrong! Do you have any idea how much that hurt? Just because I can bear it, doesn't mean I deserve to!" she was rambling like a madwoman now, shaking as her temper reached its boiling point, tears began forming in her eyes. "And let's not forget that you massacred my entire clan! My whole world disappeared in a second. I spent years on the streets trying to make ends meet. The only thing that kept me alive was my revenge! And you even tried to take that away!"

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry!?" she asked. How dare he only start being ridden my guilt now. He should've been dying of it. And why the hell did she think he was actually sincere?

"Allow me one last manipulation."

"Wha-?" A sharp pain in the neck and then everything went black.

. . .

She woke up alone on the couch with Chrollo nowhere to be seen.

He'd run away from her! The coward!

She sat up and took note of the small piece of paper left on the pillow.

 _'Forgive me, I had somewhere to be. We can talk about this later. How does six o'clock on Saturday sound?'_

She ripped the paper to shreds and let it fall where it may. That sounded like some business appointment or date. The man wasn't even taking her seriously. The chains on her hand tightened as her hands turned into fists. He was underestimating her. Was she really so weak? Or was he just trying to make her feel that way?

Either way, she had no reason to stay here any longer. He probably wasn't coming home anytime soon, and she wasn't fond of the idea of staying.

The woman left the room behind her, checking her phone to see the usual dozen or so missed calls from Gon, fifty from Leorio, and two or three from Killua whom she was certain was forced into calling her by his girlfriend. And one from an unknown number that she easily recognized. Did something happen back at the hotel?

She dialed as she got out of the elevator. Soon, someone picked up.

"M-miss Kurapika?" Komugi's sweet voice rang out, and Kurapika almost magically felt some of her nerves settle.

"Did something happen?" she asked, conversationally, as if she hadn't just punched around her family's murderer a few times and was then knocked out.

Silence from the other line and then Komugi talking to someone on the other side. Probably Ayumi and her nanny from before. She'd asked them to watch over her while she was gone. "A man came in a few minutes ago. I didn't open the door, honest! It looked like he had a key."

Kurapika froze. Was it Chrollo? Was he going after her friends now that she'd figured him out?

"He said his name was Roro."

Kurapika's heart nearly stopped. Roro Lucilfer. Chrollo's psycho brother who insisted on killing her for some reason.

He found a way to Komugi.

. . .

 **Next on Lions!:**

 **Kurapika saves Komugi, but at what price? Find out next time.**

 **Question of the Day: I honestly feel like I didn't put in enough angst. What do you guys think?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Hello, my internet friend. I'm glad you approve since you're a hardcore KuroKura shipper. As for Nico, don't ever judge a book by its cover I always say. It's a little more complicated than Kurapika going Soap Opera Lead on us. She's not one for tears. No, all she has is anger. And now, Komugi's been kidnapped. Safe to say, she's got her hands full. Chrollo says the l-word a lot in this chappie, but she doesn't say it back every time. You weren't too off on what the spare bedroom subtext was about. This is still a T-rated fic though. I might make the third book M-rated though. Maybe. I'm glad you don't think Kurapika is too OOC. I also hope you prepared yourself for this chapter and the next. The angst is just going to heighten at this point. Nowhere to go but up. Anyway, thanks for reviewing & I hope to hear from you soon.**

 **guest: Hiya! I believe this is called fulfilling all your shipping dreams. Pika can be sexually assertive if she wants to be. Prince Rohan knows what's up. Her rational side tossed itself out the window the second she figured out Chrollo was a Spider. It'll be resurrected next chap. Lots of "I love yous" in this chapter to contrast Kura's hatred for Chrollo. Oh, Roro's moving fast. I'm happy you don't find Kura OOC and hope this Kura wasn't OOC either. It's such a major point in the Kurokura story. Thnx for reviewing, hope to hear from you soon. :)**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **TO EVERYONE: Please review, favorite, and follow. Thank you. Every little bit counts.**


	12. Of Hell and High Water

**Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 12:**

 **Of Hell and High Water**

Kurapika slipped into her hotel room almost silently, letting the door fall closed behind her. She wasn't planning on sneaking up on him, it was just in her nature to be quiet. The first thing she took note of was Bahari lying on the ground, watching whatever was happening in the kitchen with vigilant eyes.

Her aura lashed out almost violently as she came around the corner. Komugi and her friend sat slumped over in their seats. The nanny had collapsed onto the floor by the stove, and towering over her stood a man with an uncanny resemblance to Chrollo. He was lanky, much skinnier than the muscular and toned Spider Head, and was currently whistling a strange tune and pouring some tea into two porcelain cups. She did nothing, even as he turned with bright green blazing eyes. There was no telling what kind of Nen ability he had, or what restrictions were attached, but he was Chrollo's brother so she could assume he was powerful. She couldn't let him touch her.

"Ah, finally," he said, setting down the cup in front of her, yet maintaining an easy distance. "The woman of the hour. Sit down, sweetheart. We'll be here a while."

Her eyes settled on Komugi's limp figure, one eyebrow raised expectantly. He followed her gaze.

"Oh, don't worry about her. She's just asleep. I didn't want an innocent little woman like her to listen to our conversation."

Probably didn't want her blabbing about it. Kurapika sat down despite her best instinct, knowing deep inside he expected her to be more cautious. Playing by his rules was unacceptable.

Roro sat across from her, and she finally had time to take in his appearance. He wasn't as put-together as Chrollo, his black hair more tousled and a small stubble growing on his chin. His dress was casual with black jeans and a navy v-neck shirt.

His head tilted to the side as he took her in as well. "You are much prettier up close. The disheveled look suits you. I suspect you and my little brother had some fun before you tried to kill him."

She glared but kept her anger under control. "What did you want from me? Or, did you simply come to speak of the nonsensical."

Raising his arms placatingly, he continued when anyone else would've lost hope. He really was Chrollo's brother. She needed to stop thinking about that man. Chrollo could wait for his sentence. Roro was threatening one of the only people left in this world that she cared about. "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't slept with him. I wouldn't want to kill off my own niece or nephew prematurely, after all."

She wasn't going to engage in this conversation. It was absolutely ridiculous. "You mean to kill me, yes? Then, get on with it." _Get on with it so I can pummel your face into the ground._ He looked too much like Chrollo for his own good.

"I actually came with a proposition," he said, bringing out a thin blade sharp enough to kill. His eyes roamed it as if deliberating what its purpose would be.

"Go on."

He smiled. "Your reunion with your family. In this world instead of the next."

Her brain rolled its imaginary eyes. That was impossible. She said nothing, so he decided to explicate further.

"I could resurrect your family and give them new bodies. Bodies without the curse of the Scarlet Eyes. You would live normally."

"What's the catch?"

"Your life."

One life for a hundred and twenty-eight. That hardly evened out. He was definitely lying.

"I'm a lot of things, sweetheart," he started, "but I'm not a liar by any account."

His eyes showed no sign of a lie now that she met them, but he wasn't telling the whole truth either. It was a look she'd often seen in Chrollo's eyes as well. "How certain are you that this would work?"

"Ninety-nine percent at least," he answered. That last one percent was clearly all the ways it could fail. She doubted that safety net was set out to help her. "I know people. They're specialists who can put the souls of the departed into other bodies-"

"I refuse."

His easy grin almost faded into a scowl, but he quickly caught himself. "Are you sure, sweetheart?"

"One hundred and twenty-eight souls for another one hundred twenty-eight. I won't be responsible for the deaths of those people."

"Surely, the lives of your people are more important than the lives of a few strangers?" What a strange mentality. This was the man who raised Chrollo? At least, that was what he told her. Who knew if it was true?

"I'm afraid our perspectives differ slightly," she answered. "I do not wish to bring my family back. I've dealt with the fact they're gone. I simply want to live now. Besides, the Scarlet Eyes aren't a curse. I'm proud to be a Kurta and I wouldn't change a thing." Even if they were chased and massacred for them. It wasn't the Scarlet Eyes, it was the people who wanted them for their own.

He shut his eyes in contemplation. "I see. I was hoping you'd accept my proposal. You see," his eyes opened and focused on the blade in his hands. "I, myself, cannot kill you with my own hands."

"You were hoping I'd do that myself," she concluded. The man nodded, dropping the blade on the table with a loud clatter.

"It's unfortunate. I suppose you still want to kill my brother and his friends?" he asked.

"That depends," the blonde avenger replied, "on his answer."

He smiled. "That doesn't sound too promising, but I suppose love is the strongest force in the universe. Who knows? Maybe he'll get through to you?"

"Perhaps." Unlikely.

He smiled again, almost fondly, standing up and placing his cup of tea in the sink. "I suppose I should take my leave then." She stood as well, planning to see him out, but as he passed his hand wrapped around her wrist and he pulled her closer. His lips pressed to hers before she had time to react. She let out a noise of protest as his tongue swept over the inside of her mouth, placing her hands on his chest to push him away. Chrollo. He was the only one allowed to . . . enough! This wasn't the time to contemplate her persistent feelings for that man and the fact there was definitely more to his crimes against her. She'd come to hate him eventually, but right now she had to deal with this psycho.

Her legs suddenly went limp, and he let her fall to the ground, gazing down at her with what she could only take as pity.

"What did you do to me?" she hissed, seething, as she tried to pick herself up. It was no use, her entire body seemed to have lost its will to move.

"Ah, just a little sleeping pill," he said, kneeling down and tilting her chin up. "Didn't see that coming did you, sweetheart?"

The tea! Goddammit, he must be immune to whatever he put in it, but for her it was just as strong as ever. It was brilliant, sickeningly so. He was Chrollo's brother, after all.

"What will you do now? I thought you couldn't kill me."

He shook his head. "Oh no, I can't, but if I somehow made another person drop you into a deathtrap, well then," he brushed her cheek ever-so-gently, "I'm not really the one doing the killing."

Not directly, anyway. She should've known.

"How's a dip in an old well sound?"

"Terrible."

He chuckled, clapping his hands. "A sense of humor. Chrollo's a lucky man, or should I say, was."

The blonde sent him one last heated glare before her eyelids finally sealed close.

. . .

When she woke up, the water had already gotten up to her neck. Thankfully, she had been sitting when she awoke. Unfortunately, her right leg was broken and her Nen seemed to have taken an inconvenient break from being helpful. He had certainly taken every precaution to keep her hear. You know, other than the fact that she'd learned to swim with broken appendages years ago. As if she'd be done in by . . . oh wait, no, he'd chained her to the ground.

Well . . . shit. She would be done in by the most basic of death traps.

A sharp, squeaking noise suddenly echoed through the dark well. It sounded suspiciously like a microphone.

"Testing, testing!" Roro's voice rang. "Can you hear me, sweetheart?"

"I appreciate you leaving my other leg alone, but couldn't you have simply twisted my ankle or perhaps not damaged any of my body parts?" she asked, surprisingly calm.

The cave lit up all of a sudden.

"Look into the water," said the psychopath. The blonde did so, figuring she had nothing to lose.

What she saw forced her to stand up, all her weight transferring to her good leg. Letting the shock fade, the Kurta bent down to pick up one of the bones scattered across the floor. There was no mistaking it, these were the bones of a human. But they were so small . . .

"Let me tell you a story, sweetheart," Roro spoke again, and his voice was filled with something akin to guilt. "About my brother."

She said nothing, still staring at the remnants of someone who died in this watery grave. There it was. The panic. She was still human.

"Once upon a time," he started and she simply had to roll her eyes. He was certainly dramatic. "There was a beautiful little girl named Cecilia. She lived in a dark place but she was happy enough. Cheerful and playful, especially when she was with her best friend, a boy named Chrollo." Surprise, surprise. "They did everything together, practically inseparable. But the boy had a destiny to fulfill, and the girl was trying hard to steer him off course. The brother of the boy knew Cecilia was making him weak, so he took it upon himself to . . . get rid of her. Chrollo never found out, believing his best friend had simply abandoned him and all was right with the world once more. The boy continued to follow his chosen path with a band of close allies, putting his all into creating a legacy the world would never forget."

"You drowned her," the blonde said. "You drowned a child all because your brother stopped listening to you."

"That's not the end of the story, sweetheart," he almost scolded. "We haven't even gotten to the best part. One day, Chrollo got into a fight with a man called Karol, an old rival of his. He got away easily, it was a simple flesh wound, but he, unfortunately, stumbled upon a girl from the nearby village. Or rather, she stumbled upon him. That girl was you."

"Yeah, I was sort of there."

"Don't interrupt me! Goodness, you are an impudent one," he said, a little vexed now, before moving on with the story. "He loved that little girl like a little sister, adored her, really. But of course, this couldn't last. He had to go back home eventually. But when he returned, his brother noticed the changes in his aura. It was similar to Cecilia's influence but amplified tenfold. The village that little girl came from had given him a troublesome brush with hope. So, I decided they had to go too. There was just one problem. The Kurta were strong." Got that right, bastard. "Not only that, but there was one hundred and twenty-eight of them. I specialized in target murders, not massacres. So, I thought, what better way to snap him out of his little trance than to have him murder the cause of it. Chrollo was unreasonably stubborn, however. It took wiping his memories and a year and a half of visions in isolation to get him to realize this was the best option."

"You did what?!" she hissed. "You _forced_ him to kill us all?"

"No, I just persuaded him a bit. It was his first massacre so he was understandably wary even without his memories."

Ah great, now she felt guilty. He went through eighteen months of the hell she'd only been able to stand for three or four. Sure, she didn't regret cutting ties with him after all the lies and manipulation, but that didn't change the fact that the blame she'd entirely placed on his shoulders was a bit unwarranted. She'd just apologize when she got out of here.

Oh wait.

"Years later, it turned out the little Kurta girl survived and she was no longer a weakling. She'd become too dangerous, and all her wrath was focused on him. So, once again, I knew I had to get rid of her someone. And now, she will be sent down into her watery tomb to be reunited with her family. She gets her old life back and Chrollo Lucilfer continues to be one of the most ruthless thieves in the world. The End." A pause and . . . "What did you think of the story?"

"I don't know," the woman started, watching the water level rise steadily to her abdomen. "The brother sounds like a bit of an asshole."

He hummed. "Indeed, but he's working for the greater good, in the end, believe me."

"May I add onto it?" she asked, not really interested in his answer. "The younger brother finally finds the strength to get rid of the evil older brother and finally gets to decide how to live his life."

"Unrealistic."

"Really?" she asked, almost laughing now, tossing her head back a bit as the water reached her chin. "Never underestimate the power of revenge. Karma is real, Roro Lucilfer, and it will hit you hard."

The lights shut off and the voice bid her goodbye.

Karma. It was a lot more dangerous than she had thought. She had been intent on isolating herself, and now, no one would know what really happened.

She let them fall because really, it didn't matter if she cried now. Death was upon her anyway. The blonde could be a little lax with herself this once. It would mix in with the well's water anyway.

One of the bones of that girl knocked against her shoe, and she wondered how Cecilia had felt when it happened to her. Was she scared? Sad? Regretful? She had only been a child, of course, she had to have been terrified. She couldn't have felt the tinge of relief Kurapika felt right now. Losing everyone you cared about in one night could only be healed with the hope of seeing them again eventually. The revenge helped though.

Kurapika's hands clenched into fists in the water. She had to say it. Just this once.

"I love you."

For whom it was for, even she wasn't certain.

And just like that, the last Kurta resigned herself to no longer having to struggle.

 **. . .**

 **NEXT ON LIONS!:**

 **Chrollo is very upset with Roro (and a bit with Kurapika, but it's not like that will last).**

 **(A/N: Kurapika is a conjurer, so physical strength isn't her specialty. Also, those chains holding her down are pretty strong and her Nen is gone. Wait for the next chapter. Also, for further clarification, Chrollo was practically brainwashed to kill the Kurta in a similar way Kurapika was brainwashed to try and kill herself, except it was like twelve times more intense because there was no one to help him through it. I swear, eventually, I'll make a fic where Chrollo remorselessly slaughtered the Kurta, but this isn't the one. They're not a cutesy love story, but Kurapika's also not one to fall in love with a person who committed the genocide of his people. Especially in this fic.)**

 **Question of the Day: Nice backstory, eh? There's more. Also, YorkNew City Arc is almost over. Are we excited for Greed Island? For some KilluGon action? For no Kurapika in sight? Oh wait . . . I guess that's just a sacrifice we'll all have to make.**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **MedusaLegend: Oh, Chrollo's gonna have to work to get back into her heart, and then work some more to get back into boyfriend-status. He'll be in the friend zone for a while. I'm sorry, Chrollo, but Kurapika's a cautious person who's been hurt too many times : (**

 **guest: Seriously, Chrollo's being a coward. But yeah, he's probably looking for Roro. We shall see next chapter. Also, Kurapika's got something up her sleeve. Chrollo is just really good at planning stuff, that's all. He also knows Kurapika really well after analyzing her behavior. Another thing, Chrollo knocked her out because he doesn't want her to become a murderer. She's too good, too pure . . . at least, compared to him. Chrollo really, really loves Kurapika and he's not afraid to show it so prepare yourself to see Kurapika give the cold shoulder to an affectionate Chrollo. Not affectionate in the way he's been in past chapters. Just generally friendly-like affection and an occasional slip-up every now and then. Roro? Behave? After Kurapika almost killed Chrollo? Pfft, as if. Komugi's fine. Kurapika on the other hand. She was kissed by someone who wasn't Chrollo (le gasp) and then sent into the most basic of death traps (blasphemy.) Wait till Chrollo finds out. Roro's become even more of an asshole now. Also don't worry about the late review. I was waiting for it and was super happy nonetheless. Thanks for taking the time!**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Please review, follow, and favorite.**


	13. Of Rescues and Planning

**(Warning: Slight Spoilers for latest chapters. But, honestly, if you haven't read it, you'll just be confused, and then forget about it completely until the DC arc. Probably. It'll be lost in the KuroKura moments. The rest of you who have read it will freak out.)**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 13:**

 **Of Rescues and Planning**

His phone rang sometime that night. It was Shalnark reporting on Kurapika's whereabouts. She had gone back to her hotel after a phone call, but the blond tech expert couldn't figure out who it was. At first, Chrollo had planned on ignoring that fact. It was normal for her to go back home after such an ordeal. The person on the phone could quite possibly just be that little girl she'd taken under her wing. But then it started to bother him. Kurapika wasn't the type of person to avoid work for personal reasons. Unless something drastic happened.

But then it started to bother him. He reminded himself that Kurapika wasn't the type of person to avoid work for personal reasons. Unless something drastic happened.

So, naturally, he called Kurapika's other pseudo-children to check on her instead, ya know, just in case she was still fuming about his occupation as a notorious gang leader and him coming to her would lead to one of them getting hurt. Not feeling quite relaxed yet, he went back to his apartment because the Kurapika he knew was a sneaky Kurta who, if that phone call was who he suspected, would've left something behind as a hint. Perhaps, he was holding onto the hope she still trusted him to care for her well-being despite knowing who he was?

Sure enough, there was a note slipped under his door attached to a small circular device.

 _Roro. Got Komugi. Hotel. Tracker. I still hate you._

And so, his fears were realized. Perhaps, if he had been a lesser man, or perhaps, more human, he would've panicked. But he was Chrollo Lucilfer and he never let his emotions cloud his judgment, especially when it was Kurapika's life at stake.

Pressing the button on the circular disk, a hologram suddenly appeared. A blinking, green diamond signified the tracker's presence. A few seconds and he realized she wasn't in YorkNew anymore. The tracker looked to be in a clearing in the nearby forest. It'd take him five minutes to get there on foot. Which was an excruciatingly long time in terms of a life-or-death situation. He couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"You better not die on me, Pika-chan," he muttered, jumping off the balcony because the elevator would take too long.

. . .

Well, this could be a problem.

He counted fifty-three wells in all, each one identical to the next. And the map wasn't _that_ specific. In the dark and in the middle of the forest, it was even harder to keep track of all of them.

Chrollo was a spectacular man, and he had a spectacular set of skills to go with his inhumanity, but even he couldn't look through each well to find a drowning woman in time to save her.

"Danchou ~" a sickening voice suddenly called. Chrollo debated acknowledging it, but then figured that it would make no difference.

"What do you want, Hisoka?" Chrollo asked, tossing him a glance over the shoulder. "I'm afraid I'm a bit too busy for that fight you've been vying for. Furthermore, you're still a-"

"Spider," Hisoka finished, rolling his eyes much like a child who'd been told the same old story for far too long. "Yes, I know. Phantom Troupe members aren't allowed to fight. Fear not, I'm only here to commit acts of heroism."

"You know where she is."

Hisoka smirked at his thinly veiled interest. Without a doubt, that Kurta was only becoming more and more prominent in his life. He wouldn't want her to go out like a short-lived flame before he had seen all she was capable of and all Chrollo would give for her. Who knew? She might become his trump card in winning a match with the man.

"And I can help you save her too ~" he sang, bringing up one sharp, well-manicured index finger to halt any signs of hope. "For a price."

Chrollo rolled his eyes and Hisoka almost swooned at the gesture. He _was_ magnificent. "A fight, you mean. Alright. Which one is it?"

Hisoka tsked, "so impatient, my dear Chrollo ~ Are we perhaps getting anxious?"

No response.

"Very well, it's the one by that big tree over there."

More silence followed, but Chrollo made no move to follow his fabulous instructions.

"We're in a forest," Chrollo finally snapped, exasperated. "We're surrounded by big trees."

Oh dear, he had a good point. Hisoka wondered how else to describe the well where the beautiful blonde had been sent down into, but nothing came up. They were all completely identical.

"Alright, I'll take you to it."

"You walk in front."

Hisoka pouted at that statement. Everyone always assumed the worst about him. So what if he had a tendency to look at people's behinds and got off on violent battles? And so what if Chrollo was quite possibly one of the most intriguing of his victims and had every right to worry? It was hurtful. You see that? That was a tear rolling down his cheek? Oh wait, no it's just raining. Haha, what perfect weather!

"Well, here it is." Hisoka gestured grandly. "Shall I get you a -"

Oh my.

He just jumped in.

Was he shirtless?

Hisoka licked his lips as if he had just received a tasty treat. It was almost invigorating to see him so riled up. How much worse would he be if that girl got hurt? Killed? He couldn't wait to figure out.

But the Kurta had potential of her own. Should he kill the unripe fruit to gain the hatred of the ripe, juicy one? Or should he keep her alive and then force her to fight him as well? He decided on the second. Just in time too, because Chrollo had just resurfaced, soaking wet and clearly fuming on the inside. In his arms, lay an unconscious Kurapika, pale and equally soaked. He placed her on the forest floor gently and then coaxed her full, pink lips apart, and of course, Hisoka took in every detail. He never knew Chrollo was so experienced in CPR. Look at those muscles! How each kiss lingered! How his hands roamed her face in search of a response!

Oh, saving your lover's life had never been so sensual.

After about six rounds of kisses, the woman final breathed in a raspy, labored breath, and promptly started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. Hisoka started to wonder if she was trying to cough up her lungs. But then he saw that look on Chrollo's face. The look of relief. Of adoration. Of . . . the l-word. Ooh, how easy it would be to turn that into a look of bloodlust.

"Your brother is insane," she said, voice hoarse, and the man gathered her up in his arms. She didn't respond in any way, staying limp, her arms hanging in the air like they weren't sure what to do with themselves?

Trouble in paradise? Could it be? Had she found out?

"Thank god," he whispered, quiet enough for even Hisoka to miss.

The demented magician cleared his throat. "So, about our fight."

Chrollo summoned his Bandit's Secret, and for a second, Hisoka almost expected an attack. Instead, the two were spirited away and he was left alone . . . again.

Bloody hell, he hated that ability. It made him exceedingly hard to find.

. . .

Chrollo held her still, even as they arrived in his apartment. She welcomed the warmth unconsciously, but then quickly berated herself for doing so.

"I'm sorry," Chrollo whispered, breath hot against her ear. "I'm so sorry about bringing you into all of this."

Oh c'mon, how could you expect her to not try to comfort him. He sounded so guilty.

She threaded her fingers through his wet hair, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders and burying her head in his chest.

"It's not your fault. I was reckless in going there so quickly. I didn't expect him to throw me into a well," she murmured, ignoring the dull pain returning to her broken leg.

The two ex-lovers parted, and Kurapika brushed away the tears sliding down his cheeks. Chrollo had never been shy about this sort of thing. Crying was a natural response according to the man.

"I'm sorry about your face," she offered, trying to lighten up the mood as her fingers ghosted over one of the darkening bruises.

He gave her a weak smile for her efforts and replied, "I suppose I deserved it to some degree."

She bit her lip in deliberation. "Roro told me about your past. And what happened with the massacre."

He exhaled in an attempt to bite back his desire to change the topic, averting his eyes to add to the effect. "Kurapika . . ."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her question came, deliberate and gentle all at the same time.

"You didn't seem like you were in the mood for a conversation," he answered, voice quiet.

She pursed her lips, before turning to her broken leg. Time to bring out Holy Chain.

The woman compartmentalized all her anger, mostly directed at the Phantom Troupe, and therefore Chrollo which she felt sort of bad about but you couldn't expect years of hatred to disappear overnight. Everything became tinted a blood red, as if she'd just been pushed into a sea of the diluted liquid and was fortunate enough to wear protective eyewear. She summoned the chain, imagined the cold metal, the smell, the glimmer of the moonlight, the silver cross with the little green gem in the middle. She remembered the taste as well, but that wasn't really necessary. To this day, she still thought her old Nen Master just wanted to get back at her for all those pranks she might've sometimes played on her. What? It was boring in there! And the forest reminded her of the times she had played pranks on the adults back in the Kurta Village, so she might have regressed a bit, but nobody got hurt. At least, not physically.

The bones in her leg snapped back into place and welded together, leaving behind no remnant of a time when they were broken apart. How much time did it take to fix that? Maybe eight, nine seconds? That was eight hours down the drain.

She shook her head. That was just the price she had to pay for more power.

Focusing back on the man, the woman folded into a seiza position.

"I meant before that," she answered. "Before I found out on my own. You could've told me yourself and given me your version of the story."

"Would you have believed me?"

She had to consider. Would she have believed him? "I don't know. I guess that's what trust is for." Because really, was it really a relationship, if they couldn't even be honest with each other? A bitter taste filled her mouth as she felt that same resentment bubble in her.

"Kurapika." He reached out to her. She stood up before he could so much as brush his fingers against her arm. Following suit, he continued, "you wouldn't have understood."

"I might've!" she cried, raising her arms, not sure where the sudden rage came from but at the same time knowing exactly why it had appeared. "Maybe instead of trying to control everything, you should've at least believed that I'd be rational enough to understand that your brother is a bloody psychopath who keeps manipulating you to do horrible things!"

So, she might've screamed a little and the fact that he had the gall to look guilty only made her curl her fists in frustration and seethe with unrelenting fury. She wanted to scream more, to yell, to for once, just get as angry as she felt on the inside. But she held back, averted her eyes and headed for the stairs. A cold shower would be nice right about now, and she was still drenched in well water. Most of all, she needed to gather her thoughts.

By the time she left, the Kurta's anger had only grown. She didn't doubt he cared about her, but that type of love . . . it was suffocating. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't regret being swept up into it. And she hated it. She hated the feeling of missing him, of wishing he was there, a feeling she had simply labeled as natural beforehand.

"Here," he said, walking up to her with a set of clothes.

"Those are . . ." He knew where she lived? Of course, he did. He gave Gon the address.

"Your friends dropped them off," the man answered, quietly, eyes darting in search of _something_ in her expression. But she kept it stoic and cold, just like she should've from the start.

She took the clothes from him, muttered a, "thank you," and then went back to the bathroom to change. But before she could even take one more step towards the stairs, she was hugged from behind by thin, slender, copper-skinned arms.

"Gon," the older woman whispered, not even daring to look behind her.

The dark-haired girl sniffled and Kurapika immediately knew she was about to break into fits of sobbing. Her arms tightened around the woman's waist, and Kurapika felt her airway become blocked again.

"Gon . . . can't breathe . . . you're crushing me," she heaved with what little breath she had left.

Gon's arms loosened, but she refused to let go, and Kurapika resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't going to let her go until she reciprocated.

"Alright, alright," she said, exasperated, as she stroked the younger girl's head. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Worrying?!" Gon blubbered, looking up with trails of tears rolling down her cheeks and even a little anger flashing across her face. "We thought we'd never see you again! We're friends! Why do you keep pushing us away?!"

Kurapika gave the two men behind Gon a desperate look. What was she supposed to say to that? Killua just shrugged and made a spinning motion with his hand. The other one just looked amused. Bastard.

"I push you away to protect you," Kurapika started, but before she could go any further with her sincerest of apologies, she was cut off.

"I don't care about that!" Gon held onto her tighter. "Why can't we protect each other?!"

"Yeah, she's got a point," Killua chirped. "We might not have a Hatsu yet, but it's not like we have no idea what we're doing. I'm an assassin, remember? And Gon . . . well, she has good instincts, I guess."

"Aw," Gon said, with the look of lovestruck puppy on her face, but then she turned back to Kurapika with determination set on her face. "Help us develop our Hatsus, Kurapika! Please? So, we can help you defeat the Phantom Troupe!"

Oh dear, this was going to feel awkward to say. "Actually . . . I'm no longer chasing them."

"Huh?" Gon cocked her head to the side, confused. "When'd that happen?"

With her eyes avoidant and her teeth chewing at her bottom lip, Kurapika tried to put together the most rational-sounding response. "Well, you see . . ." How did one make this sort of thing sound rational? "It's like this. It turns out that the Phantom Troupe might not be the monsters I thought they were." There. That was a good explanation, right?

Gon continued to look at her with an expectant gaze, Killua raised an eyebrow, Chrollo gave her a nonchalant shrug.

She took a deep, calming breath, closed her eyes and then, "I found out the leader of the Phantom Troupe was sort of manipulated into it."

"What?" They clearly weren't convinced that was all it took to make her stop.

"And that he was," she cleared her throat awkwardly, "Chrollo?"

Silence. The truth sunk its teeth into them and forced them to jump back.

"WHAT?!" they yelled in unison.

Killua spoke again. "You mean you've been sleeping with your worst enemy this whole time?"

She crossed her arms and muttered, "I haven't slept with him."

"IT'S AN EXPRESSION! The hell, when'd you find that out?" Killua asked, looking like a concerned brother. He ignored Gon's innocent question of what it meant to 'sleep' together. It was just falling asleep next to each other, right? Chrollo and Kurapika did that all the time, though! Why would they lie?

"Yesterday," she murmured, strangely feeling a bit sheepish now that she was talking about it.

"RIGHT BEFORE YOU WERE KIDNAPPED?!" they both screamed, tossing the man a suspicious look.

Kurapika massaged her forehead, trying to keep a headache at bay. "Yes. Why are you screaming?"

"WHY AREN'T YOU?" It was almost surreal to see Gon yell at her as well. She was usually so good-natured

"I've kind of come to terms with it. Everything _is_ mostly Roro's fault, anyway. So, all my hate hasn't disappeared, just transferred," Kurapika explained, shrugging nonchalantly.

Gon perked up at that answer. "So, you still have someone you want to get revenge on?"

"Yes?" Honesty was usually the best policy, but Gon was too unpredictable to follow the usual policies.

"We can help you!" Gon said, triumphantly, raising her arms in victory.

Her answer came almost instantaneously. "No."

"On the contrary," Chrollo intervened, stepping closer to them with a smug smirk on his face, "they might prove to be of some use yet."

Kurapika glared at the man. "No."

"And why not?" he asked, accepting her challenge to a staring contest.

"It's too dangerous," she replied, crossing her arms again, striking any possibility of letting her two younger friends fight her battle. She could handle Roro on her own.

"Perhaps if you trusted -"

Kurapika didn't even let him finish. "Oh, don't you _dare_ twist my own words against me. You know this is a completely different situation."

The other two slowly edged out of the room to give the ex-couple their privacy, which Kurapika secretly appreciated.

"Is it? Our objectives are the same," he replied, coming even closer. "I wanted to protect you."

"I never lied to do that." The Kurta was getting angry again, her vision going red, but Chrollo didn't show any signs of backing down.

"And I'm sorry if that hurt you, but I really would've told you eventually," said the man, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"So, what were you waiting for?"

"A time when you would be safe from my brother would be nice," Chrollo answered, voice almost desperate. It was so unlike him that it made the woman hesitate. "I was scared of him. What he'd do to you if I crossed the line. He's taken away everything I ever cared about."

"And before he set his eyes on me? What were you so afraid of then?" she asked, taking the initiative to come even nearer, Scarlet eyes burning into his gentle ones. "You didn't want to choose between us, did you? You thought you could keep your band of thieves and me all at once, didn't you?" And in his eyes it almost seemed like the real Chrollo shone through, and she cupped his face with cold, slender fingers, her face softening a bit. "Well, I have good news for you. You're not going to have to choose because I've already done that for you."

And she walked up the stairs to the bathroom, because she still had to change out of the Fluffy Bathrobe of Fluffiness. But when she came out, fully clothed in a green striped shirt and forest green jeans (clearly Gon's choice), she finally told him what she'd been meaning to tell him the whole time.

"Goodbye, Chrollo." She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek and then prepared to walk out of his life forever.

Or at least, until Roro showed up again, but the older brother didn't know that part of the plan.

. . .

 **Next on Lions!:**

 **Kurapika has a plan.**

 **(A/N: How long has it been since my last update? Two and a half weeks? I can do better. And don't give up on KuroKura just yet. And yes, Chrollo will learn that Roro 'kissed' Kurapika next chapter.)**

 **Question of the Day: Do you think Kurapika's justified in getting mad at Chrollo for hiding the truth from her?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **guest: You guys are reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly mad about that kiss, huh? May your shipper heart be healed someday. Chrollo's going to be friendzoned for three or four years (Greed Island - DC Arc), but is it really the friend zone if they're** _ **both**_ **pining for each other? Yes, yes it is. Oh, the suffering! The sexual tension! It will be so much fun to write as Chrollo regains Kurapika's trust and in turn, learns to trust her more as well. Only then will they be able to be a couple. Roro is a sociopathic murderer but there's a method behind his madness. Pika? Not being isolated? Pfft, which planet are you from? No, but seriously, this woman is going to start descending into very canon madness very soon. ALL HAIL KILLUGON! The break we've all been needing. I kept rewriting this chapter, and wasn't sure what was missing, but then I was like "huzzah, Hisoka. Where you at, you crazy, demented psychopath clown you?" Hisoka was what saved this chapter and possibly the whole book. That does not mean I forgive him for what he did to my babies Shalnark and Kortopi. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and I hope to see you soon!**

 **MedusaLegend: Future? What future? Anyway, your hope will be heard as KuroKura isn't dead yet. It was a combination of Super Chrollo and Hisoka-dear, though KilluGon will play a larger part next chapter. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **Sweets Dreamer: As I said, you guys are reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaly angry about that kiss, but I suppose that's justified. There's more to it than that. Roro really does care about his brother and Kurapika really is a threat to him in a way that I can't explain just yet. I'm glad this chapter made you sad. That was the objective. I feel like a horrible person for saying that though. Hopefully, the fluffy fluffiness of KilluGon will make you smile again. That's what Greed Island is for, after all. Half the cast thinks Chrollo and Pika have done it. It's because of the heated gazes and them always being together at night. Thankfully, they both have enough control not to go that far. They both respect each other too much for that. Also, backstory was inspired by Sherlock season 4 finale with Sherlock's crazy sister who drowned his best friend in a well because she was jealous of how much time they were spending together. It's a bit different this time, and Chrollo doesn't remember Cecilia as a dog in order to block out the tragic memory. Roro is kind of like Pouf now that I think about it. Glad you liked Kurapika acting human. I always worry about making her OOC, but then I remember this is a KuroKura fanfiction and she has to be a little OOC to fall for Chrollo. But not too much. Their personalities are compatible as they are. Bingo! Her "I love you" was meant for everyone, including her dead loved ones and her living loved ones. One YinYang arc comin' up. Also, I've decided I'll probably keep the last part at T, but there will be some implications of things. I want this to be accessible to most people, after all. Anyway, thank you so, so much for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Thanks for being patient and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter to some extent. Please review, favorite, and follow.**


	14. Of Scarlet Eyes and Inverted Crosses

**Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 14:**

 **Of Scarlet Eyes and Inverted Crosses**

 _"Chrollo," his brother called out to him. The young Lucilfer zipped through the area, vigilant and wary until he was safe in Roro's arms again. The older boy stroked his filthy hair, holding him close. "Silly, I told you to stay inside. You know how dangerous it is out here."_

 _Chrollo gazed up at him with that blank, dark gaze. The gaze of a true Lucilfer. "Sorry, Roro. I just wanted to help. I got something from the junkyard, see?" The six-year-old raised a tiny hand, showing his big brother a pearl necklace. Roro took it with a glimmer of interest._

 _"Now, why would anyone throw this away?" Roro wondered aloud, and Chrollo remembered that he'd looked at it with a mixture of resentment and fascination, before looking back down to his brother. "Good job, Chrollo. We'll be able to sell this for a lot of money. But try to be a bit more careful next time. People are dangerous."_

 _"I understand, brother," Chrollo replied, as polite and distant as ever, though he felt himself grow stronger at the compliment. Roro didn't give out compliments willy-nilly, so when he did, he meant them._

 _The green-eyed boy ruffled up his hair again. "Remember our promise?"_

 _"Never forget," the boy answered, black eyes deep and empty, but it only took the slightest spark to light the darkest coal._

 _._ . .

"Whaaaat?!" Gon squealed, clearly not caring the effect her screaming had on her companion's ears, too preoccupied with Kurapika's situation. "She's going to lure him out?!"

He shushed her, "you have no idea what kind of people he's got with him. What if he heard you?"

Her brow furrowed, and yes, it was adorable. "But wouldn't he have heard Mr. Lucilfer's explanation too?"

"Don't worry," Lucilfer cut in. "My brother has no such power. Kurapika was just being careful." As usual.

There was still one question lingering in the back of Killua's mind.

"Is there anything else you want to tell us?" he asked because really, Kurapika was acting strangely. Maybe it was an act, but there was truth even in acting.

Lucilfer looked surprised. "Pardon?"

"Why is Kurapika so angry at you?"

He had been ready to lie, Killua was sure of that, by the way he so clearly had to reconsider his words. "She found out about my position as the leader of the Phantom Troupe." Such a simple sentence, so many complicated implications.

Gon gasped. "You mean Kurapika's been in love with a super-villain this whole time? She can't be in love with a super-villain! That's not fair!"

Killua face-palmed. Love wasn't meant to be fair, Gon, but even he had to admit this was excessive. It had probably been difficult for Kurapika to learn how to trust again. Lucilfer had been at the center of her healing process along with her friends, only to turn out to be her worst enemy. That was cruel.

"Ok, cool. You're evil, how do we save her?" Killua, straight to the point as ever. It was clear to the silver-haired assassin that the man hadn't been playing with their friend, otherwise one of them would be dead by now. No one crossed Killua's friends and got away with it. Nah, this was probably a simple communication probably wanted to hold off on telling Kurapika because she'd try to kill him and he'd have to decide between his gang and the Kurta, but then Kurapika found out on her own somehow. They had a falling out somewhere in the middle, and Kurapika stormed out, Lucilfer thought she'd prefer to be alone, leading to a lack of protection around blondie that eventually made it easier for Kurapika to be kidnapped.

In other words, he messed up, but he wasn't a bad guy. Well, he was a bad guy, but not in regards to Kurapika, and that was all that mattered in the end.

"We'll just have to follow her instructions," Lucilfer answered, lifting a piece of paper, the one Chrollo noticed them exchange when he was giving her her clothes.

Killua raised a dubious eyebrow. What? No brilliant plan from the criminal mastermind? How strange.

The thief caught onto the silent question. "My brother raised me. He knows how I think. Kurapika, on the other hand, is a complete mystery. If he could predict her actions, he wouldn't be so intent on killing her. He'd manipulate her instead."

That sucked. This guy might be worse than even Illumi.

Nah.

"So, you're just gonna trust her?" Gon asked, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.

"It's the only thing I can do."

With his answer, Gon perked up, turning to Killua expectantly. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, we're gonna help him. This _is_ Kurapika we're talking about. We'll get Leorio in on it too. He can be our getaway car," he reassured, and Gon made the sweetest face. Her eyes all wide and perfectly amber in the lighting shadowed slightly by perfectly long dark eyelashes, and so incredibly radiant and happy. A wide grin had overtaken her face and the edges of her mouth dimpled as a result.

"Are you alright, Killua?" Gon asked, touching his arm gently. He all but jumped away, face heating up to an absurd degree. The silver-haired assassin cursed his own hormones. The two of them have practically been living together. Why is he still so . . . so . . . well, so hopeless.

"I'm fine!" he managed, raising his arms in an x as if to defend himself. By the look on his face, Lucilfer knew exactly how fine he was.

Gon didn't. As usual. She just gave him another smile and turned back to Lucilfer.

"So, where do we start?" she asked.

Lucilfer held up the paper in between his middle and index finger. "Read it for yourself. Ask me questions after if you still have questions."

Gon took it and gasped as if someone had dropped a cake into her hands instead of a piece of paper. She held it out at arm's length, eyes shining. "Kurapika has such pretty handwriting!"

He rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's antics as he peered over her shoulder. "You've seen it before, like, a thousand times."

Gon laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly (adorable). "Sorry."

His eyes glossed over the lines of text. Without a doubt, Kurapika came up with it. He found a few flaws in the reasoning, but then, she clearly improvised and trusted them to fill in any gaps she couldn't in the few minutes she had.

"Let's not waste any more time then," Lucilfer said, clearly ready to get Kurapika back to safety as soon as possible. For once, they had something to agree on.

Leorio was gonna freak out again.

. . .

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Leorio's voice rang loud and clear. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER? What is she thinking? What am I thinking? Am I supposed to be thinking? OH GOD, THIS SHIT NEVER HAPPENED WHEN KURAPIKA WAS AROUND! IMA GO INSANE IF SHE DIES!"

Killua brought the phone back up to his ear, rolling his eyes. As expected, Leorio freaked out the moment he told him that Kurapika had thrust herself into the 'super villain's' path again. First, he hyperventilated. Second, he started talking in gibberish. Third, he started screaming bloody murder into the phone, which brings us to said moment.

"Shut up, old man!" Killua yelled back, albeit not with the mindless fervor of the 'old man'. "You're gonna give us away. We'll explain everything in Central Park."

And he hung up, not planning on listening to any more rants from the doctor-in-training.

By the time they got to Central Park, Gon had jumped into a run as Leorio came into view as well. The two of them entered a hugging session that lasted far longer than it should have. They saw each other just yesterday, after all. Lucilfer took this opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with him.

"Not very good at dealing with them, are you?" he asked, voice filled with mirth.

"With who?"

"Feelings," Lucilfer replied, airily, gaze still on the two hugging friends. "I can relate."

Killua wasn't sure how he felt about that. Especially with how Kurapika and Lucilfer's relationship turned out.

"What's holding you back?" the older of the two asked, and Killua couldn't believe he was really going to accept love advice from a criminal mastermind. Then again, he came from a family of criminal masterminds and Hisoka had given his some unwanted advice before, which was, unfortunately, the only advice he ever really got from someone else. Kurapika had been clearly supportive, but she wasn't much of a love expert. He suspected Lucilfer was the first guy she really liked. Leorio wanted to keep them as far apart as possible, so he was out thanks to the belief that seventeen-year-olds shouldn't fall in love. So, currently, it seemed Lucilfer the Psychopath was the best option thanks to experience (he was an adult after all) and a similar sort of upbringing. And anything was better than Hisoka's advice.

Killua shrugged, nonchalantly, though inside the words of his father, mother, brothers, they all told him one thing. "I'm afraid of hurting her, I guess."

"That your feelings will hurt her?" Lucilfer continued prying.

"Not really," he answered, eyes downcast.

"That your instincts will act up and end up with her getting hurt?"

Killua didn't answer, but he flinched, and that was enough answer for Lucilfer.

His next question came swiftly. "Do you trust her?"

Cerulean eyes widened in surprise, before they landed on the other man. But the boy quickly turned away and crossed his arms haughtily. "Ye-yeah, obviously. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."

"Then that's all that matters," Lucilfer responded, stepping toward the two dark-haired hunters. "You'll probably always going to be ridiculously affected by her presence. That's how it should be."

What did that mean?!

Killua analyzed the words. Lucilfer hadn't trusted Kurapika enough to let her in on the truth, nor had he trusted himself enough to be with her when she found out, and that fact was what almost led to one of their deaths. Not Lucilfer's darkness and murdering instincts. Not Kurapika's revenge and obsession. It was a lack of communication and trust. And that last part. Well, that was self-explanatory.

So, now he knew what to avoid. Heh, this guy might be worth something after all. Not that he couldn't have reached that conclusion on his own. He would've. Eventually.

"YOU?!" Leorio yelled, pointing at Lucilfer, right before running up to him and swiftly punching him in the face. Ouch, man. Wasn't Leorio supposed to be the nice guy in their group? You've got hyper happy Gon, cold with a heart of gold Killua, polite and well-mannered but totally gonna kick your ass if she has to Kurapika, nice but annoying guy Leorio, and Lucilfer, who floats between serial killer and romantic renaissance man. Sometimes they would add Neon into the gang, but that was far and few between.

Back to Leorio punching Lucilfer. Well, Leorio was still seething but clearly also fearing for his life as Lucilfer slowly turned his face back to him, dark eyes landing on the poor doctor, making him squirm under his gaze.

Leorio cleared his throat. "That was for Kura." The man's eyes darted from side to side, before he hesitantly asked, "are you okay?"

"Fine, Kurapika did a number on me yesterday," Lucilfer replied, easily, as if he hadn't been punched in the face a few seconds before. A darkening bruise started forming on his right cheek.

"How many times?"

"I stopped counting after the tenth or so."

Shit. How come his face wasn't all bruised from all those punches? What's that saying again? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - William Congreve, The Mourning Bride, Act III, Scene VIII. Only burned into his memory because Kurapika had him recite all of Congreve's most notable works for his exams.

"Um," Gon intervened, "shouldn't we start on the saving bit?"

Gon certainly had a way of putting things in motion.

. . .

It took them just a few seconds to reach Kurapika, from a safe distance as she was talking with Lucilfer's crazy brother at the moment. They both looked unharmed, as Kurapika had planned. The man looked strikingly similar to Chrollo, skinnier and a bit unkempt, though he clearly wasn't lazy or unhygienic. His eyes were a startling green, a contrast to his pale skin and dark hair, too bright, too alive to belong to someone that looked like a bloodsucking vampire. Kurapika stood facing him, creamy skin almost glowing in the moonlight and clothed in that green attire Gon had picked out. Her eyes, like his, were startling. Scarlet rubies embedded in a pretty face, ethereal, they didn't look like they belonged on the face of a human. Indeed, in that light, with those eyes, Kurapika looked like some sort of demon.

Killua strained his ears to catch onto the words falling from Kurapika's mouth. He was almost certain she knew they were there. "That prophecy you spoke of. What exactly does it say?"

Roro sighed, almost fondly, "always after the details, aren't you?" He stepped closer to her, too close for all their comforts, but Kurapika didn't move away, her steely Scarlet Eyes transfixed on their target. Killua almost expected him to turn to ashes under that glare. "The prophecy foretold the death of Chrollo Lucilfer at the hands of a Kurta."

"You speak of us as if we were demons," Kurapika scoffed, the distaste clear in her voice.

"The Kurta. A humanoid species from the Dark Continent that was brought to our world after a journey that took place almost a millennia ago. Also known as the Gatekeepers of the Dark Continent. We're lead to believe most of them were killed off, but as we can see, a small clan settled in the mountains, finding it very much similar to their old home. Those eyes made you strong, and dangerous, so dangerous in fact that the Kurtas had been labeled a Class A calamity, on par with humans themselves. Dangerous creatures, you are."

Kurapika seemed bored out of her mind during all this, though Killua himself wanted to know more. He was friends with a . . . well, what was she, anyway?

"Yes, yes, we were natural warriors," the blonde cut in. "Kurtas are taught about this stuff since age five."

"Including the bloody bits?"

"That's more like age nine, I'd say. They really get into it after we turn fifteen, or at least that's what I heard, I mean," insert casual laugh here, "they were all kind of gone by the time I turned fifteen."

"And here I thought I was being dramatic," the man muttered, woefully. "That's my entire speech down the drain."

"Hmm, about the prophecy?" Kurapika continued, sounding perfectly impatient.

The man pouted. "So rude. Are you like this to everyone, or am I just special?"

"Everyone."

"Charming."

Holy shit, was . . . this guy hitting on Kurapika? His brother's girlfriend? This, unfortunately, put the horrible image of Illumi flirting with Gon in his head and he almost vomited on the spot. It must be a thousand times worse for Lucilfer.

He glanced at the man, but he seemed to be in complete analyzing mode, too busy with carrying out the plan flawlessly to actually care about his brother possibly flirting with his partner. Speaking of which.

"And Chrollo?" Kurapika continued. "Do you really think I'll be able to kill him?"

The man's eyes took her in as if for the first time, analyzing her chances. "No. No, not yet. But someday. That's why I needed to kill you beforehand. I knew Chrollo wouldn't be able to do it. He's become too weak."

"Really, I find him far stronger than he had been that day in the forest," she spat back, getting strangely defensive of the man.

"He's supposed to be the greatest thief in the world, not dancing around with a woman that is destined to kill him someday," the man replied.

"Okay, first of all, we do not dance around, alright? And second, he already is the greatest thief in the world. What rock have you been hiding under?"

Killua almost let out a snicker, but then the man lifted a gun and laughing seemed inappropriate.

"These bullets are reinforced with Nen and laced with poison. Even an enforcer wouldn't be able to stop them."

"There's this thing called dodging -"

"Okay, you really need to stop talking," the man intervened. "You might be pretty, but you're equally impudent."

She clasped her hands behind her back. Killua glanced at Lucilfer to see if he caught onto the signal. By the look on his face, he had.

"Yes, well, if you wanted my respect, killing me is probably not the best way to go about it," Kurapika snarked. She sure did know how to amplify that side of her.

He raised the gun again. "Alright, that's enough chit-chat." The next few things happened in a blur. Lucilfer jumped in front of Kurapika, Roro dropped the gun in shock, Kurapika looked up at the sky gratefully. Oh, and apparently Lucilfer was shot in the leg. He seemed fine, though.

Roro staggered back, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Lucilfer," he managed, eyes on the ugly wound forming, dripping blood into the yellowing grass.

"Hello, brother."

The older brother, currently preoccupied with his younger brother's injury, failed to realize Kurapika falling into a Zetsu state and retreating into the woods. So, she was right. Lucilfer was his weakness.

"Your leg -"

"It's a flesh wound," Lucilfer shrugged.

Roro looked downright panicky. "No, it's not. That bullet was laced with enhanced maitotoxin. You'll be dead within the hour." Well, shit. Even his family didn't risk poisoning him with maitotoxin. It was a death sentence waiting to be committed. A few grains were enough to kill an adult within seconds.

"Better me than her."

Roro's jaw set. "That woman is nothing but trouble. How many times have I told you? Letting her live is like letting you die."

"I couldn't think of a more suitable punishment."

"You're a fool."

"At least I'm not foolish enough to base my whole life around a single prophecy."

"That prophecy is the only reason we've survived this long!" Someone was getting angry.

"That man was insane. He had no idea what he was saying."

"His fortunes were always fulfilled."

"Because you wanted them to be. Have you ever heard of the placebo effect?"

"She is a demon."

Said demon suddenly removed her Zetsu state and thrust one of her chains at the man. An attack from behind. Stage three complete. It embedded itself in his back, the blade vanishing as it sunk into his chest and the man fell to his knees, clutching his heart, before whipping his head around to face the blonde.

"You!" he shouted. "What are you doing?"

"I just pricked you with my judgment chain," Kurapika explained, generously. "I'll give you two conditions. If you break one of them, you'll die."

He stood, glaring at the girl, his hatred clear for once. Killua felt Gon stiffen next to him almost protectively. She'd done so a few times before, eyes darkening as their friend's life hung in the balance, but it had never been so bad.

"And your conditions are?"

"One, I want you to tell us the truth, should we ever ask for it. And second, I want you to leave us both alone unless we require your assistance." Why would they need _him_? They should just get it over with and kill him.

The man's lips curled into a smirk before his gaze softened. Lucilfer watched on with something akin to wariness as if his brother might suddenly whip out a knife and stab the Kurta. Would that even work? How did the Kurta differ from actual humans? Did they have super healing or something?

Unfortunately for Lucilfer, he had one wounded leg and a lethal dose of maitotoxin flowing through his veins and probably couldn't do much in the way of helping her out. This was where trust came in, yes?

Instead of a knife, Roro lifted his hand to Kurapika's cheek, brushing it gently, as a lover would. Which made everyone watching throw up a little in their mouths. Lucilfer looked ready to shove him away. But Kurapika seemed to understand something more, and therefore, didn't signal for them to come out and help her.

"I'm afraid I made a promise," he started, "and agreeing with this would mean breaking it." The man looked over her shoulder, to his younger brother.

"Then, you refuse?"

"Yes." He let out a strangled gasp, before going limp. Kurapika instinctively caught him in her arms, eyes widened in shock, before she dropped him to the floor and staggered away. Her back hit the tree, and even Killua could see the pure disgust on her face. It was like she couldn't even process what had happened. He didn't quite understand. It was just another life. But then, he remembered. Kurapika was driven by justice and compassion. Killing was the exact opposite. Cognitive dissonance, he believed it to be called.

It was Lucilfer who broke her out of the trance, his voice gentle from his spot on the grass. "Kurapika."

The woman's eyes snapped up before she crossed the expanse of grass and kneeled down beside. "Your leg," she whispered, the guilt clear in her voice.

The man shook his head, caressing her cheek. "Don't worry about it. What about you? Are you alright?"

"Why," she started, voice cracking ever-so-slightly, as she bit her lip, "do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

Kurapika didn't get to respond because just then, a sleek black car came speeding through the park.

"KURAPIKA!"

"Leorio?"

The car came to a stop by the dead body of Roro. The door to the driver's side slid open and . . .

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Leorio yelled, taking in the sight of the dead guy. He reluctantly nudged the body, as if to check if it was still alive. But all his worries vanished at the sight of his best friend. "KURAPIKA!"

"Oh no," Kurapika managed, before being tackled to the ground by a six foot four stick man.

"Well, that was boring," Killua sighed, standing and stretching his sore muscles.

"It's true we didn't get to do much," Gon said, pouting a bit, "but at least everyone is safe."

"Almost everyone," he amended, eyes falling on Lucilfer again. He was clearly trying not to worry Kurapika, but no one could get a full dose of maitotoxin and be alright. Try as he might, he wouldn't be able to hide for long.

Twelve minutes to be exact. He collapsed on the way to the car, and Kurapika nearly had a nervous breakdown, managing to keep the hysteria at bay only because Leorio was there and Lucilfer wasn't dead yet. She spent the ride to the hospital between cross-examining different possible antidotes and casting fidgety glances to her ex-boyfriend.

Something told him this hadn't been part of her plan.

. . .

 **Next on Lions!:**

 **The mission to save Chrollo's life.**

 **(A/N: I considered adding another part at the end of this, but then it wouldn't be a cliffhanger. So I guess we'll find out what Chrollo's reaction to the kiss next chapter. I'm sorry! I'll try to work faster this time. Maitotoxin is a real thing, but I'm just gonna treat it as a thing I came up with so any inconsistencies aren't real inconsistencies.)**

 **Question of the Day: Ummm . . . I don't know. Surprise me? Write a few headcanons for this fanfic? I didn't know how happy those made me until Sweets Dreamer wrote one. Like, people make headcanons of my stuff? That's awesome. And if you haven't already, read** _ **Assume Nothing**_ **by Sweets Dreamer. It's divine. Also, look out for my one shot Halloween fanfic about Witch!Kurapika in High School. I couldn't help myself.**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Yeah, Hisoka's really fun to write. He's just so weird and shameless and has strange fantasies about Chrollo. I love your headcanon by the way. That's super cute. Unfortunately, HisoMachi is looking bleak thanks to Hisoka's actions in recent HxH chapters. But if ChrolloPika can get together, they might as well too. YinYang pair has always been a little protective of their friends, it's just becoming clearer now that one of them almost died. Nah, you're not a crazy stalker, you're just an amazingly loyal fan. Never change. I'll have you know I only spent half a month freaking out over Kurapika! You'll find out how angry Chrollo gets over that kiss next chapter, but as an apology for being late by a couple hours, I'll give you a snippet.**

She averted her eyes and pursed her lips, but he didn't notice her discomfort. He was too busy trying to figure out a way to bring his brother dearest back from the dead so he could torture him properly.

"He did what?" he hissed, voice low and deadly, as he imagined his brother forcing a kiss on the woman he loved. The very thought made his blood boil.

"It was more of a poisoning. It doesn't even qualify as a . . ." she trailed off at the look on his face. That's a new one. What shall she call it? The I'm-gonna-bring-that-bastard-back-and-kill-him-again look?

But he took a breath and took in her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes?"

"Then, I suppose, that's all that matters," he sighed, moving past her, but right as she thought the conversation was over, he took her wrist and spun her around and pressed his lips to hers.

 **Thanks so much for reviewing. It means so much honestly and brings me unimaginable joy. I hope you liked this chapter and I'm looking forward to Chapter 3 of Assume Nothing! I'm counting on you!**

 **MedusaLegend: Thank you, thank you. Hisoka's gonna use Kurapika soon and Chrollo is not gonna like it. You'll see it soon. Perhaps, in a few chapters when we'll get a few breaks in Greed Island. Not many breaks. Maybe one or two when KilluGon gets in touch with Kurapika by phone. She's breaking up with Chrollo for real, but she's spicing it up a bit. They're gonna be in the just-friends zone for now. They're both obsessed with their brothers, guided by a false sense of destiny, and overly dramatic, They're basically the same person. Anyway thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much for reviewing. It always puts me in a great mood to read these, really. Kurapika is always going to be stubborn, but that's why we love him/her. See you next chapter (hopefully) and I hope you liked this one!**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: Please review, favorite, and follow. November's gonna be a dark month due to NaNoWriMo unfortunately, and I'm gonna need all the motivation I can get on this story. I might be able to only squeeze in three or so chapters next month.**


	15. Of Dolphins and Nen Users

**A/N: Wasn't planning on putting this out until December, but then, I remembered it was Thanksgiving, and I wanted to thank you all in some way for supporting me thus far. So, to all my followers, favoriters, my lovely reviewers Sweets Dreamer, MedusaLegend, guest, slyside, and Pandalion143, I give you this super long, slightly more detailed than usual chapter. You guys have helped me so much in terms of motivation and have been super in helping me grow as a writer and for that I'd like to thank all of you. Also, Happy Thanksgiving to all of my USA friends and a happy day to all of you who do not celebrate it, because you all deserve the best. Also, I've been listening to 'Let Me Make You Proud' from Tangled: The Series on repeat and I swear the reprise is a song for Kurapika. Every revenge song is for Kurapika in my mind. And that look after he said he'd make whoever stood in his way pay, that is a Kurapika look.**

 **Of Lions and Blonde Avengers:**

 **Chapter 15:**

 **Of Dolphins and Nen Users With Awful Restrictions**

Kurapika thought her performance had been worthy of any award. Even as her anger boiled to the brim and she felt she might just as well punch the little shit in the face for catalyzing her clan's demise based on a fake prophecy, Kurapika had maintained her temper, focused on seeing her plan through, and even with all that, he'd still managed to one-up her, taking Chrollo down with him. Sure, he sounded genuine enough when he despaired over his brother's illness, but that didn't discount the fact that he'd done it again. He'd taken and put someone she loved in danger and she'd been helpless to stop it. Heck, it had been her plan for Chrollo to get injured somehow, so his brother would focus on him instead. And look where it got her.

Of course, the fact that she was now a murderer lingered in the back of her mind, forgotten in the face of another being killed because of her. She didn't like it, she wasn't proud of it, it felt she might vomit every time she pictured it in her mind's eye. The light leaving his eyes, leaning against her motionlessly as heat rapidly abandoned his body, the strange tug on her own heart when his was crushed, letting her know that the restriction was broken. There had been an out. He could've taken it. That's what she told herself. But it didn't work.

The Kurta felt a weight on her shoulder and it snapped her back to her senses. She didn't even bother turning around to identify that weight. It was hot and clammy, just as you'd expect from someone with as high a fever as Chrollo, and even so, he was shivering against her. At least his hypothalamus was still doing its job, Kurapika reassured herself. It'd be worse if he was completely motionless. That fact put her mind at ease, knowing that his condition, while fatal, hadn't taken him yet. He was fighting it.

Instinctively, she took his hand, remembering something about physical contact and how it helped the patient stay aware a little longer.

As she tightened her grip, she heard Leorio say, "we're almost there, Kura," like she was the one in need of medical attention. With a curt nod and a small smile, she held her words close to her chest, not bothering to tell her best friend that a hospital wouldn't do Chrollo much good.

She turned off her phone with an impatient click, nothing was coming up in her research either. At this rate, Chrollo was as good as dead. If only there was someone who had more connections with these sorts of things. Someone who wouldn't turn them over to the police.

It was with that thought that Kurapika had a slightly insane eureka moment. The Spiders would know, or at least, would be able to help. Bringing up her contacts, she shakily pulled up Shalnark's number.

The fact that she'd had a member of the Phantom Troupe's number this whole time gave her a jittery sense of hilarity and fury because they'd known the whole time and didn't even treat her like a threat. She'd just been their Danchou's girlfriend. What a tasteless title. That couldn't be allowed to stand.

"Miss Kurapika?" came the young man's voice, filled with a strange nervousness.

Good. He should be nervous. "Roro's dead. Chrollo's been shot with a lethal dose of maitotoxin. How do I save him?"

"Maitotoxin?!" he yelled into the phone, making the woman lean away from the device. "How'd he get hit with that?"

She decided to twist the truth a little. "Roro shot him in the leg. He'd been trying to keep me safe."

"I see," he replied, seeming to have calmed down considerably in the few seconds it had taken her to explain their situation. "Where are you?"

"We're on our way to the hospi-"

He cut her off mid-sentence, "ah, sorry, Miss Kurapika, but we can't let you take him to the hospital."

"Why not?" she asked, fingers tapping the leather of the seat. In her hurry to get Chrollo the help he needed, she might've come off as a bit impatient, but perhaps that was precisely what Shalnark needed to understand the urgency of the situation.

"We can't leave Danchou out in public while he's in such a state," responded the man. "There are people after us. And now, thanks to the Mafia, our pictures have been released on the Net."

"How'd they manage that?" Kurapika asked, finding it hard to believe that those buffoons managed to catch anyone in the Troupe long enough to snap a picture.

Shalnark's answer came swiftly. "They brought in two of the Zoldycks, but Danchou paid them off beforehand to get rid of the Ten Dons, so the payment was void and the Zoldycks left us alone. We made copies of our bodies to fool them into believing we were gone."

"So, you're saying I should leave him without any proper medical attention?" Kurapika asked, incredulity seeping through her voice. Sure, a hospital would be of no use in curing him, but they could keep him alive for at least a little longer.

If he was there, he'd be waving his hands frantically to rid her of the thought. "No, nonono, I mean you should bring him to us and we'll take care of him. I'll send you the address."

A mere three seconds later, she received a text.

 _P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney_

Sydney? That city was a few minutes outside of York New. Could they make it?

They would have to. The Spiders knew more than they did. She punched the address into the GPS on her phone and handed it to Leorio, who said nothing even as the doubt overtook his face.

"Take the one with the least traffic," was her only demand.

. . .

"Alright, now set him down," Machi said, as Phinks laid Chrollo down in what looked like a hospital bed. The rose-haired girl promptly set to work in stabilizing his condition.

Kurapika would be lying if she said she didn't feel at least a little bit dubious about the other woman's skills, but Shalnark assured that Machi knew what she was doing. Apparently, she was Meteor City's best doctor. Forgive her if she felt a little underwhelmed by that title. And the fact still stood that they didn't have a cure. It didn't matter how well Machi did her job, Chrollo would still be dead at the end of the day.

 _"The prophecy foretold the death of Chrollo Lucilfer at the hands of a Kurta."_

Could this be it? Was this the death he'd spoken of? Would Chrollo lose his life thanks to her?

Well, screw that.

"Shalnark, may I speak with you?"

Smiling that sociopathic smile, Shalnark nodded, before following her out to the steps of the abandoned church. The attempt at isolation was simply for the sake of professionalism, though both of them knew that both of their respective groups of friends would be eavesdropping on them.

"Do you know any Nen users who would be able to heal him?" she asked.

Shalnark shook his head, apologetically. "But I could look for one. What will you do once you find them?"

"I'll try to convince them to help us."

"And if they say no?"

Chains pulsed on her right hand as if they knew they might have to be used. Well, one chain in particular. Strange, she'd conjured them to combat the Spiders, and now she used them to save one. The fact made her stomach churn. Even with the time she took to try to understand her feelings about the Spiders, her thoughts still couldn't amount to anything solid. It wasn't anything like the single-minded hatred and anger she used to feel, though the fury was far from gone, now it was nuanced and mixed in with all these other emotions. Frustration built inside her, the internal conflict reaching its apex and leaving but one conclusion in her mind: She had to save him. Of that, she had no doubt. That man would not be dying on her watch.

"Ooh, found one," Shalnark suddenly called. He'd gotten his laptop in the time frame it took her to go on her little feels trip into EmotionLand™ and was now surfing the web. "Carl Liviachi. He lives in Albany. That's just twenty minutes from where we are -"

"I know where it is," she cut him off, impatient and snappy. These were no longer Chrollo's friends, they were Spiders, and she was no longer required to be nice to them. Not that she had been before, but you know, now she could be a complete jerk and not feel guilty. The other Spiders had been completely aware of their actions when they annihilated her clan. "C'mon, we're leaving."

Before they could even get off the steps, Gon ran out after her and took her hand. "I'm coming with you!"

"No, you're not," she replied, sternly, but Gon held her ground. "We have no idea what kind of person this Leviacci is."

"It's Liviachi," Shalnark murmured. They both ignored him.

Gon grimaced. "SO? We've fought crazy psychopaths before! I fought Hisoka in Heaven's Arena!"

"You did what?" she hissed.

Killua stepped up to offer his own thoughts on the subject. "She lost."

"It was because of the Bungee Gum! He played dirty!" she insisted, waving her arms in the air as if that would help accentuate her point.

Chuckling made them look up to where a red-haired magician stood on the steeple of the church. "It was a Nen battle, my dear Gon ~! Anything goes ~!"

Gon's friends made a sort of protective wall around her. No creepy clowns would get past them.

"How cruel ~!" the clown drawled, placing a hand over his heart as if he'd been shot. "You wound me, my dear fruits! I am simply here to offer my assistance!"

Could you do it without creeping on everyone?

Hisoka's eyes fell on Kurapika, and his lips pulled into a gleeful smirk. Leaping off the roof, he situated himself in front of the girl, his back to her three friends. She didn't move away, choosing to simply stare him down. This just seemed to amuse him further.

"You," he sang, leaning down to her eye level, "have been verrrrry naughty~."

The tone of his voice made her friends and a few Spiders make their own wall around her. She didn't lower her gaze. She wouldn't let her ego be wounded in such a way.

"You seemed to have omitted a few details about the Spiders when we agreed to work together. Therefore, our alliance is now void," explained the girl, voice cool and perhaps a little belligerent.

He grinned. "Oh, I'm not talking about that ~. I'm talking about Danchou's unfortunate state. You've been putting the man through quite the rollercoaster."

"That seems to be the routine for us," Kurapika replied.

Placing a finger to his chin, he considered the girl before him. "Carl Liviachi is a recluse living on the outskirts of Albany. He's a volatile man with violent pets."

"You want to help us find him?" Kurapika asked, as if the idea itself was absurd. But then, after some mulling over his proposal, it wasn't so strange for him to want to help save Chrollo. He wanted to fight him to the death, and losing his chance to some poison probably didn't sit well with him.

"And make sure Danchou returns to his glorious self," he added. "See, little Kurta, we're not so different, you and I."

"Compare yourself to me and I hand you to the rest of the troupe to deal with," she threatened, before walking to the car out front. Shalnark followed her with a smile that was too pure, too good for this world, with Hisoka strolling in behind him with none of the hurry the other two felt. They lobbed him into the backseat, of course, but before Kurapika could even start the car, two more people joined them.

Kurapika took one deep breath to calm herself, massaging the bridge of her nose..

"I told you," she started, in that quiet, seething tone that told them she was trying not to snap, "that you couldn't come."

Gon's lips pulled into a determined pout as she was squashed against the window. "We're not asking for permission."

Kurapika glared, eyes flashing red. "Where's Leorio?"

"He's helping the needle girl keep Lucilfer alive," Killua said, fastening his seat belt. "Don't expect us to stay behind with those freaks, being useless."

"Miss Kurapika, we really should get going," Shalnark informed, tone taking on a pleading layer, as he finished setting up the GPS.

The blonde clenched her jaw. Letting things go had never been her specialty.

"Fine, but if you get in trouble, you run as fast as you can and forget about the rest of us," she compromised, quietly, finally accepting defeat.

The two bobbed their heads, brimming with victory. Kurapika took another deep breath, before finally starting the engine and placing white-knuckled hands on the steering wheel.

"Let's get this over with."

. . .

Of course, the place this guy lived in had to look like a haunted house filled with the corpses of the fools who'd tried to invade it. Rickety rooftops and broken windows were just some of the outstanding features of this stellar home. To the left, you'd find dead trees, dead trees everywhere, painted a rigid black by the cloudy night, leaning left and right, their limbs cracking like the bones of an army of old people. To the right, you'd find what looked like a dog-house, though it was fifteen feet tall and made of brick instead of the standard wood with the names _Destroyer_ and _Muffin_ written in a rusty copper color.

Our brave heroes currently stood on the other side of a wrought iron gate that in itself seemed formidable.

"Time to go in," Gon said, cheerfully, reaching for the gate rods and starting to stretch them. In the midst of a minor panic attack, Kurapika pulled her away from the gate.

"What are you doing?" she asked, that edge of panic still in her voice. "We can't go in without a plan."

Gon pointed to her silver-haired best friend, who was already on the other side. "But Killua's already on the other side."

Kurapika looked ready to scream, and probably was, internally, but she settled for a whispered, "Killua!" and a run through her golden locks. Hisoka chuckled, as he passed the gate as well.

"Let them go, Miss Kurapika," Shalnark suggested. "They can distract the guard dogs while we go search for Mr. Liviachi."

She grimaced, not liking the thought of sending Gon and Killua out into the paws of a violent wild animal with only Hisoka to protect them. Heck, Hisoka would probably stand by and watch them struggle for the fun of it.

"Would you mind staying with them, Shalna-"

The normally polite Shalnark interrupted her, still smiling, "yes, I would. With all due respect, Miss Kurapika, Danchou is my priority right now. You can't do this on your own."

He was right. She couldn't. She was still too weak to march into a battle of unknown proportion alone.

"Let's go," she sighed, walking through the twisted bars. The two of them made their way to the door. Negotiation was always the best tactic.

They didn't even need to knock for the door to open. Two blue eyes peeked out from the small gap.

"Who is this?" he asked, grumpily, looking them up and down with a permanent grimace on his wrinkled face.

"Are you Mr. Liviachi?" Kurapika asked, trying her best to appear harmless. "We're here to inquire about your ability to heal others of any disease?"

He opened the door further to reveal a dwarf of a man with a long beard and a full head of silver hair that reached his shoulders. His clothes were dark and dreary, all different shades of gray. "What d'you need it for?"

"My . . ." What was he again? Not an enemy anymore, obviously, but not her lover either. "Friend has been poisoned."

"With what?" he asked, still grimacing, but she could tell he was willing to help them.

"Maitotoxin," she answered.

He frowned, before stepping out of the doorway. "Come in."

Shalnark and Kurapika exchanged a suspicious look but followed him inside anyway. Cluttered was the word that came to mind when they stepped inside, but it didn't seem messy. It was a sort of organized clutter.

"Darling," a voice called. "Who was that?"

Another man came through the doorway, a tall, muscular specimen with dark eyes and a bald head and colorful clothes. In other words, the complete opposite of his shorter, thinner companion.

"These folks want my help with something," he answered, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for them to sit in the armchairs across from him. After some extensive Gyo usage on said chairs, they did.

"Oh," he said, shoulders slumping, "I suppose I should leave you to it, then."

The other man, the one with the ability, looked away, and Kurapika knew that look. Guilt, tied in with a sense of responsibility. It was one she'd worn so many times it was becoming the only expression she had other than a look of numbness and rage.

"So, how long ago did they receive the maitotoxin dose?" he asked.

Forming an approximation in her head, she answered, "around an hour and a half."

His eyebrows rose into his hairline. "And they're still alive?"

"He's," an evil criminal mastermind who grew up in a city of literal trash and was raised by a psycho brother bent on shaping him into the invincible savior of Meteor City, ignoring all proper childcare and pretty much abusing him both mentally and physically until he finally became the unfeeling, unregretful monster that is Chrollo Lucilfer, "surprisingly durable."

"Inhuman, I'd say," he said, eyes growing even wider. "No one's ever survived that long with maitotoxin running through their veins. It hurts like the devil for a few seconds and then it kills you by stopping your organs. Scary stuff. How'd he wind up with it?"

His brother shot him in the leg.

"There was a Mafia scuffle downtown, and he was caught in the middle," she lied, skillfully.

"Those people are nothing but trouble!" he said, holding up a nearby cane and waving it like the stereotype he was. "They're the reason I moved out here! Always, nothing but 'save them, Marlin', 'save him, Marlin', 'oh, you won't help us anymore? That's too bad, now we'll have to kill you, Marlin'. Nothing but trouble. Someone should get rid of the lot of them."

Yes, definitely a wise choice not to have said she actually worked for the Mafia.

"Back to the subject at hand," she interrupted.

"I'll help you," he said. "But I'll have to warn you that my ability isn't all sunshine and rainbows."

It never was.

"The pain this person feels will be transferred to me. That is the price for the cure," he said.

Kurapika frowned, she wasn't one who let other people get hurt for her personal goals, but since this _was_ the only way.

"You almost died from the pain last time," the other man mumbled from where he was organizing some books.

What?

"Ignore him," he told them, eyes never leaving his guests.

Come to think of it, immense pain could lead to sudden death, especially in an elderly man. She couldn't let someone die just so she could save someone else. Weighing lives wasn't something any human had the power to do.

"I think you misunderstood me," she spoke again. "I am in need of your ability, not of you yourself."

His brows drew together in confusion. "I don't get it."

"I have a power that allows me to borrow other people's abilities," the woman explained, her voice containing none of the seriousness said power called for. "I can only use the borrowed ability once before it is returned to the original owner."

"You're asking me to give you my ability?" he asked, incredulous.

"That is correct."

"Do it," the man behind them said, the certainty in his voice almost tangible.

The healer still looked unconvinced. "You'll be put in immense pain, child."

"I am familiar with the sensation," replied Kurapika, her eyes turning Scarlet for just a second, but the torment reflected in those orbs stayed and it won him over.

With a pitying stare, he nodded. "Very well."

She nodded, standing up, and bringing out her chains, before shrouding them with In for a number of reasons. Mostly so neither man would panic, but also because Shalnark was also there and she liked having her powers be kept a complete secret. Also, because the technology expert would immediately babble about them to Chrollo, and knowing that man, he would want to know _everything_. And knowing her, she'd probably break eventually out of frustration. She was not looking forward to that conversation.

Though she did sort of hint at having a stealing ability, and Chrollo had already seen her Holy Chain. Having two completely different Hatsus was strange. They were intimately connected to one's personality, and her Hatsus were only made so she could properly combat the Spiders. He wouldn't be able to piece together that she practically sold her soul to get stronger right off the bat, but he'd be curious and she'd try to avoid him but he'd prove that, lo and behold, she couldn't avoid him because his Kurapika Sense always told him when something was wrong and when it was best to approach her about it. After that, she'd once again be reminded of how much better he knew her than she knew him and she'd be fifty different shades of rage for the next month or so.

But anyway, this was a good idea and anyone who thought it wasn't had never had the pleasure of meeting her wonderful ex-boyfriend.

"This may sting a bit and you'll be paralyzed and eventually lose consciousness. Don't worry, it is not in any way lethal," she reassured.

"That's okay," he reassured. "I have a high pain tolerance."

She nodded and then flung Steal Chain at him, the needle embedding itself in his chest. He keeled over just thirty seconds later.

The dolphin, whom she'd nickname Delphi, appeared shortly after, and she gave it the proper command. "Equip stolen ability."

Delphi came to her with a robotic voice, saying the thievery was completed and explaining the properties of the ability. You could cure any illness, but in return, you had to the bare the patient's pain during the healing process. It gathered in a cloud of dust which was then transferred partcle by particle to the Healer. The illness also had to be cured in one go, and if you get knocked out before it was complete, the healing was canceled and therefore so was the ability. Oh, and you could only cure a certain illness once, so if you cured maitotoxin poisoning now, you would never be able to cure it again.

It wasn't a selling-your-life-by-the-hour-for-power sort of deal but it was pretty extreme nonetheless. Given the nature of it, she wasn't surprised.

 _"Please find an appropriate sickly target to use 'Healer's Promise' on,"_ the dolphin droned, monotonously. _"As long as I am activated, Emporer Time will continue -"_

"I know!" Kurapika interrupted as her patience thinned, ignoring the fact there were two other perfectly conscious beings in the room with her. "Go on standby for a bit."

 _"Acknowledged,"_ Delphi replied. She should've taken her contacts with her. But no, she had to be all dramatic when she met with Roro.

Kurapika turned to the tall man. "Tell him thank you when he wakes up."

"Okay." It was clear he still felt pretty icy about the whole ordeal but was trying to be respectful. Or maybe he just thought she was insane for talking to herself.

Shalnark followed her out without the slightest gesture for him to follow, and once they reached the outside, where Gon had tamed her new best friends apparently, he finally started to talk.

"I didn't know you had a stealing ability," he noted, as the others came toward them.

"I wouldn't have expected you to," she replied, coldly. She wasn't sure why, she just felt cold.

Shalnark chuckled, still smiling. He was always smiling. It was kind of creepy, as if he could rip someone's head off and still smile at the end of the day. "It's just that Danchou has a similar ability. You two are really made for each other."

"I don't know about that," she said. Parallels didn't make you made for each other, they just made you too similar.

"Kurapika!" Gon yelled, even though they both knew the woman had perfect hearing. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine. Gon, why are the creatures of pure destruction following you?" she asked, eyeing the strange beasts behind her. They looked a bit like manticores, with the body and heads of lions, large bat-like wings, and a giant, definitely poisonous scorpion tail. They were also about the height of two Gons.

Gon pat one off their paws. "Aw, they're not that bad once they see you don't want to hurt anyone."

Kurapika narrowed her eyes at the creatures. They might've looked like Bahari, but they most definitely weren't. She wasn't falling for it. "I'll take your word for it. Let's go. We're losing time."

"Anxious to get back to your lover, little Kurta?" Hisoka suggested . . . suggestively. She didn't like what he was suggesting.

The five of them headed for the car, Gon waving goodbye to the manticores. Meanwhile, Kurapika was calculating how much life she'd lost now. She'd been like this for two and a half minutes. That was just one hundred and fifty hours. Not too bad. Now, just the fifteen-minute ride to the church. And then however long it took for Chrollo to be healed.

Kurapika wasn't a fool, however. The hours added up. But . . . she needed the power to fight on her own. That still held true, even without the Spiders. There would always be something standing in her way. She'd need something stronger to assure her victory. If it destroyed her in the process, then so beat it. She only needed to live long enough to get the Eyes back.

"Are you feeling alright, Miss Kurapika?" Shalnark asked, about ten minutes into the car ride. "You seem anxious. And your eyes are red."

Well, she _was_ losing hours of her life by the second. "I'm fine."

He frowned but was eventually forced to maintain his gaze on the road. Kurapika would've preferred to drive, but the physical strain of Emperor Time might prove too great. It was her first time using it to such an extent.

The car suddenly stopped. No, it hadn't stopped, it was just moving exceedingly slow. She glanced out the window. Of all days to be stuck in a traffic jam.

"Aw man, looks like we'll be here for a while," Shalnark said, still smiling like it was the best day of his life.

Kurapika wasn't quite so well-adjusted. Traffic jams could drag on for a good hour. The longest traffic jam ever had lasted twelve days. She couldn't wait twelve days. She couldn't wait at all.

Biting her lip in frustration, the girl undid her seatbelt and ran out into the street. Her eyes were brilliant Scarlet, she didn't care. She had a bloody mini army at her disposal, they could certainly take care of some body part hunters. Not to mention she had herself. She had been planning on killing the Phantom Troupe members, after all, she was pretty badass herself.

She heard people following her. She didn't bother turning around. The church was just twenty miles from here, she could reach it in ten. Who needed a car, when they had amazing durability and speed.

"Kurapika!" Gon called, catching up to her. "Why'd you run out?"

"It would've taken too long," she replied, running ahead. Killua caught up as well, but he hadn't asked what made her drop everything and run off. He didn't think it mattered, most likely, Killua didn't often focus on motives.

They reached the church in about the time Kurapika had expected. It took her just under a minute to force everyone out, which wasn't easy thanks to their ridiculous overprotectiveness. She was trying to save the man, why were they acting like she'd kill him?

Slowly, the woman slid into the spot beside him. Delphi had said physical contact was preferable, and since she was probably going to be knocked out after this, she might as well avoid the fall and just deliver herself to the hospital bed immediately. She took hold of his clammy hand in her freezing ones, brushed the feverish sweat from his brow.

"'Healer's Promise' activate," she whispered, and the next thing she knew, the sickness was being gathered up into a spiral. It kind of looked like a galaxy. One by one the particles started disappearing. Her breathing hitched and her body felt like it was being pricked by a thousand singular needles. Nausea rolled over her, she felt cold, then hot, then freezing again, as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Her muscles ached and her bones were being broken and repaired, only to be broken again. A sharp pain in her head, like a knife embedding itself in her skull, then several that followed, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the poison or because of Emporer Time.

It was getting tough to stay conscious, as her heart started to malfunction, but she could see it. The little specks of dust in the spiral slowly falling away, like stars going supernova, only to die off after their brightest moment. And his hand, slowly closing around hers, letting her know it was working. She could take this for a while longer. Just a while longer.

By the time it was gone, almost twenty minutes later, Kurapika was on her last thread, and when it snapped she went out like a light. That was just as well because otherwise, she would've had to listen to his lecture about her self-destructiveness.

. . .

The next time she came around, she wasn't on the hospital bed in the abandoned church, but on her bed back at the hotel. The woman shot up in bed, not remembering if she had managed to heal the man, but his name died on her lips as soon as she laid eyes on who was sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"Sleep well?" he asked, dark eyes boring into hers, even as the edges of his lips lifted upwards.

Kurapika managed a hoarse, "how do you feel?" Which prompted him to hand her the glass of water from her nightstand.

"I've never been better," he answered, voice sounding the most relaxed she'd ever heard it. She liked that tone. "How about you?"

After downing the entire glass of water, she breathed, "I've been better."

"Well, meet me downstairs when you're ready?" he suggested. "A walk will do you good."

He strolled out of the room, closing the door behind him. Kurapika picked herself up. Her head ached still, but she decided she could live with that. It was still a bit drowsy. Her body, that was. After being subjected to intense pain for around twenty minutes, it was ready to rebel, but she willed it to move across the room so she could get ready.

Fifteen minutes later, she was showered, clothed in freshly laundered attire, and ready for whatever Chrollo had planned when she walked out of the elevator. She made sure Komugi and her friend were alright, but Bahari cut her nagging short by pushing her out the door. Rolling his eyes because even he could tell she was stalling.

Chrollo was waiting for her, of course, in black slacks and a white dress shirt, and when she reached him he just offered her a short greeting and half a smile. Their path led them outside, into the city, and eventually to a small cafe for breakfast and, most importantly, coffee.

"God, I needed that," she whispered, in much better humor now that she'd eaten and had some of that miracle drink. The ocean came into view and she let the breeze catch in her hair.

Glancing over to her companion, she noticed Chrollo watched the waves as they lapped the edge of the boardwalk, and she suddenly remembered how water used to fascinate him back when they were in the Kurta Village.

"About Roro," she finally started, hating that she had to be the one to bring the subject back into play. "I'm sorry about -"

Chrollo cut her off. "Don't worry about it," he reassured. "Roro may have been my brother, and a part of me will always care for him, but he had threatened you and I don't blame you for fighting back."

"He raised you."

"Clearly, not very well," he quipped. "I seem to have adopted his strategy of needing to control everything I love."

She linked their arms all of a sudden, and when she did, she wasn't sure why. It just felt necessary to make her point come across. "I'm not forgiving you for not telling me, but I understand why you didn't. I wouldn't have believed you. Not without proof. And, I suppose, back then, it might have seemed like I wouldn't be able to take on a troupe member."

That brought up a whole new topic. "You've gotten stronger," he said, that analytical look in his eyes again. "It's incredible, really. I don't remember seeing anyone develop their Nen so quickly."

Grand, he was suspicious of her already.

"Well," she spoke, "there's a first time for everything."

"I suppose," Chrollo replied, but his eyes spoke volumes more. _What was she hiding?_ They seemed to ask.

"Gon and Killua have grown as well," the blonde changed the subject, and he seemed to only grow more suspicious. "Apparently, Gon fought against your clown friend. Got in a punch, even."

He chuckled, "you sound like a proud parent."

"I prefer 'proud sister,' parent makes me feel old," Kurapika amended. "I feel I've made a few mistakes in dealing with them as well."

"Which are?" Chrollo trailed off, ready to listen.

"I pushed them away, thinking I was keeping them safe, but instead, I think I hurt them a lot more than any of your Spiders would have." The woman wrapped her arms around herself, as she often did when she was delving deep into her regrets and sorrows.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shake his head. "Don't give yourself so much credit. My Spiders might seem harmless when they're simply trying to save one of their own, but they're far from it. Perhaps, keeping them close when Roro was around would've been a better course of action, but you did what you thought was best."

"Just as you did," she murmured.

Chrollo smiled, somberly. "So, we both could've done better."

"Hmm, well, Roro was pretty awful. Dealing with him alone had quite possibly been the fourth worst experience of my life. Especially since he kept flirting with me, I mean, what kind of brother kisses his brother's girlfrie . . ." Oh dear, did she say that out loud? She needed to work on that mental filter of hers.

She knew Chrollo had frozen in place ever since the last few words left her lips, but Kurapika had hoped he would snap out of it and follow her if she just kept walking, but alas, no such luck.

When she turned around, slowly, slightly dreading the outcome, but then calling herself silly because it was Chrollo and Chrollo was always cool as a cucumber.

He wasn't cool now. He looked quite hot. Wait, what? That came out wrong.

He looked _angry_ , and yet Chrollo seemed to be trying to keep it under control. His brows drawn together, eyes dark, as a deep scowl found its way onto his face, but his aura, goodness, it was absolutely lethal. If anyone else was around this wouldn't turn out too well for them.

"Chrollo," she called out, and moved closer to him, despite the stifling aura. "You okay?"

He took one deep breath, closing his eyes to calm himself, before speaking again, "he did what?"

"It was more of a mouth-to-mouth poisoning," she reassured, trying hard to convince him it was really no big deal.

Chrollo sighed, massaging his forehead. "Shame he's already dead," he muttered, before glancing in her direction. "Are you alright?"

"It's not like it's the first - you know, I'm just gonna stop talking," she said, noticing his face darken. Lots of people tried to hit on her, sometimes they wouldn't take no for an answer, which would eventually lead them to a hospital and jail time because Kurapika knew some people weren't lucky enough to have learned mixed martial arts.

"Kurapika," Chrollo started, before trailing off, not quite sure how to continue. It was nice to see him at a loss for words for once.

She waved him off. "Don't worry. They learned their lesson. You know me, I'm not exactly kind to those who cross me. The lowest of the low have no chance against an angry Kurta."

Nodding, a shadow of a smile made its way to his lips, before morphing into a sneaky smirk. She tipped her head to the side, ready to ask what was the matter with him, but then he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers for just a few seconds, warm and chaste, before sidestepping around her smoothly.

"What?" she managed, frozen in place.

"I'm not going to let anyone else's kiss linger any longer than it has to," Chrollo explained, waltzing away from her.

That bastard.

Kurapika pursed her lips, not willing to let anything other than dissatisfaction slide onto her face. Good God, they weren't very good at this whole breaking up thing.

 **. . .**

 **Next On Lions!:**

 **Start of the Greed Island Arc. Main Squad time. Kurapika helping Gon and Killua with their Nen and building their Hatsus, Leorio being a supportive and amazing best friend. Feitan and Phinks stealing one of the GI game boxes for fun.**

 **Question of the Day: I'm starting to think Kurapika is just too good at everything which is why I'm making her unreasonable on the subject of KilluGon helping her. Do you think she's becoming too amazing? I'm trying to bring in her compassion, which is his main character trait in the canon that everyone worries he'll lose, as well as her forced solitude, self-awareness, and her slight snobbiness (yeah, he's pretty insufferable in canon if you think about it).**

 **A/N: Curse you Mobage Cards! Why did you have to come up with those damned School AU pictures. Now I want KilluGon and Bisuke to start a band, Hisoka to be the creepy chemistry teacher, and Chrollo and the Spiders to be in a band (that's more Hyde's fault for cosplaying as Chrollo) and then having Kurapika buy every ticket to their concerts just to observe his mortal enemies. Goddammit, why?! But, in any case. If I were to do that AU, fem!Pika or male!Pika?**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Sweets Dreamer: Roro's not done being a pain yet, but he's dead for sure. Lucilfers aren't able to kill other Lucilfers intentionally. This will be explained in the DC arc. Besides, it's hard to nail down Roro long enough to kill him. At the moment of his death, he was just desperate to kill Kurapika, and she was able to use this fact to her advantage. Yeah, I tried to make chibi Chrollo both adorable and stoic when in the company of Roro, which is controversial to how we saw him in the flashback in canon where he was laughing and stuff, but let's awesome he didn't laugh like that until he met Cecilia (first friend and all) and Paku. Oh man, I should have Kurapika tell Chrollo about the bones of his dead friend. Next chapter, maybe? Or did I do that already? I don't remember.**

 **Hahahaha, you really thought I wouldn't use this chance to have Kurapika use her Emporer Time? Mwahahaha, you sweet Summer child, you know nothing of Winter. I remember your birthday is in November. Good memory, I have. Happy B-day, Sweets Dreamer, whether it's belated or late. And Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it, and have a great day even if you don't! Meh, ship HisoMachi, it's saner the KuroKura honestly, at least Hisoka shows some interest in her. I figure Illumi's speech would be like Sherlock's speech at Mary and John's wedding, except without the comeback towards the end that made everyone cry because it was beautiful. I wonder if Hisoka just has a thing for people who use shiny, sharp objects as weapons. Illumi has his needles, same as Machi, and then Chrollo has his pens. I think that's something. You're welcome for the shameless marketing! I will support anyone who has potential and you definitely have it! Also welcome for the sneak peek. It turned out a little different in context because I figured that after the two of them talked about Roro practically sexually harassing her, kissing wasn't the way to go afterward. It's a serious issue and should be treated as such. Didn't stop Chrollo from stealing a peck, though. Silly Danchou.**

 **MedusaLegend: Nah, I won't be killing off Chrollo (yet). Let's all take a deep breath for now we do not have to worry about Roro being a creepy killer anymore. This brotherly obsession is just going one step further. They don't have a father figure keeping Roro from going all-out insane on Chrollo and controlling every aspect of his life. And watching Chrollo get a little frustrated over not being able to be with Kurapika would be hilarious, especially if he resorted to taking Hisoka's advice (Danchou, there's desperate measures and then there's insanity). Unfortunately, they'll be taking the backseat for now, since Gon and Killua are heading for Greed Island and the focus will be shifting to them and their growing romance. I will be putting in a few short scenes with Kurapika just as there was in the canon GI arc when Killua called him, but other than that it's KilluGon all the way until the Election Arc. I hope you don't mind : ). In any case, thanks so much for reviewing, it's always a joy, and I hope you have a great day!**

 **slyside: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I try my best to make it worth your while, and it always makes me happy to hear some verbal feedback letting me know if it's working. Also, what are you still doing awake? 1:39 am. Sleep is important! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Pandalion143: D'aww, I'm blushing. I'm glad you think it's cute. That's what I'm going for! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: That's it until at least the second week of December. NaNoWriMo and school are trying to pull me in so many directions right now, I'm not sure which way to turn. But that's alright. A quiet life never really suited me. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and if you can find in your Thanksgiving heart, please review, favorite, and follow.**


	16. Of Sundaes and Hatsus

**A/N 1/27/2018: Updates will be coming every month or so now. I've changed my entire storyline because I'm not much of a gamer and both CA arc and GI arc are dreadfully long. So, we'll be getting a new arc. I call it the 'Saving Prince Rohan' arc. I hope you like it. Again, heavily inspired by Hanasakeru Seishounen.**

Chapter 16:

Of Sundaes and Hatsus

Kurapika had been knocked out for four days and Gon was itching to just shake her awake so they could talk properly. But then, she noticed the purple circles under the young woman's eyes. The edges in her face, tired and worn. Kurapika had been suffering the most out of all of them. It'd be selfish to rob her off the little peace she gained through sleep.

And Gon knew she had a selfish streak, but she wasn't that bad.

So, for now, she let her sleep. Let her doze off into a dreamless sleep, because God knew she needed it.

That didn't mean she'd leave her alone for a second, though. After Mr. Lucilfer and Leorio, Gon, and Killua by association, had been the woman's most frequent visitor in that four-day period. It was hard to beat Mr. Lucilfer and Leorio in that regard, though. Leorio took the doctoring role and made sure Kurapika's fever would be kept under control. He found fatigue to be the reason for her unconsciousness, though the fever was a different story. Apparently, it hadn't been from any natural causes. Mr. Lucilfer had gotten a strange look on his face when they'd realized that, but Gon didn't dwell on that. She didn't really dwell on much of anything.

When Kurapika awoke on the fifth day, Mr. Lucilfer hadn't notified the three of them until much later in the day, around lunch time. He claimed it was because he wanted her to recover in peace from such a long sleep, but Gon thought it an obvious lie and that the man just wanted to spend some time sorting through their relationship alone. Gon didn't understand why he'd lie about something like that. They wouldn't mind Mr. Lucilfer stealing Kurapika away for a few hours if it meant they could steal her away for the rest of the day. Maybe it was just like Bisky used to say, some people lie for no reason?

Gon frowned as she sat staring at the entrance of Kurapika's hotel like a hawk waiting for its prey. Killua sat beside her, quiet while he practically swallowed his chocolate robots in one bite. A few feet away, Leorio was pacing a hole into the ground, lips thinned into a near-invisible line. Every now and then, he'd look up and cast nervous glances towards the door. They were both on edge. After all, Kurapika had run away from them before. Who was to say she wouldn't do so again?

They had nothing to fear. Just a few minutes after their nerves peaked, a young Kurta emerged gracefully from the outside with Mr. Lucilfer by her side, distracting her long enough for her to not notice Gon dashing towards her.

"Kurapika!" the younger girl squealed, tackling the woman to the tiled floor in a cage-like hug.

She pushed her off but made no move to get up, giving her a fond smile. "It's good to see you too, Gon."

Gon gave her a radiant smile, one you could light up the world with, and pushed down the urge to hug her again. It had been so long since they'd been together as friends, just friends with no evil people trying to kill one of them.

"Leorio!" Kurapika suddenly yelped as she was pulled into yet another hug. Her feet dangled in the air as she was lifted a few inches off the ground, two thin arms clothed in blue holding her close. Leorio stood behind her, a big, goofy grin on his face.

"You're still alive!" he cheered, happily, twirling her around a bit.

Kurapika squirmed around in his arms, legs waving around as she attempted to free herself. "Yes, yes, still alive, could you please put me down now?"

"Hmm," Leorio hummed, before tightening his grip and chirping, "nope! You've got to pay for all the times you ditched us."

Kurapika groaned, accepting her fate and crossing her arms childishly. "Fine."

She didn't need to even turn around to know that Killua was coming over. Gon could tell from his footsteps and aura and the general coolness that he effortlessly carried.

"Finally," he spoke, "do you realize how hard it is to be the only sane one in the group?"

"All too well," Kurapika said, still caged in Leorio's arms and levitating just a few inches off the ground. It was kinda funny to look at. "Can I come down now?"

"Nope."

A few seconds passed. "Now?"

"Nope."

"Leorio," Kurapika said, voice both calm and threatening, just like Kurapika most of the time, "if you do not put me down in the next five seconds, I promise you a world of hurt. Now. Put. Me. Down."

He dropped her without a second thought, and Kurapika nearly toppled over. She managed to catch herself, thankfully, and tossed her brother-figure a fierce glare. One he was pretty much immune to by now.

The blonde's brown eyes flicked to the side suddenly, to where Mr. Lucilfer had stood before Gon had taken her hostage. The dark-haired girl frowned at the strange look in those eyes, the disappointment that had twisted her face for just a split second, the little bits and pieces of the weakness and fading sanity she'd seen in the other Kurapika. The one that pushed everyone away.

As if she were her anchor, Gon grabbed onto the woman's arm and tugged her back. Kurapika jolted a bit, the way you sometimes did after fighting a particularly dreadful nightmare. The blonde twisted around a bit and faced the other girl, a reassuring tilt to her lips.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" the blonde asked, turning to the others as well.

"It's almost lunch time," Leorio offered. "We should get something to eat."

Gon gasped. "Ice cream! We know a place."

"But it's freezing," Leorio refuted.

"Ice cream sounds good," Kurapika agreed, earning a rather comical look of betrayal from Leorio. "I already had lunch with Chrollo. I'd say I'm in the mood for something sweet now."

Leorio muttered something about annoying psychopathic criminal masterminds and how they kept corrupting his best friend's mind. Gon found it silly. To her, it looked like Kurapika was doing the corrupting.

. . .

"One, two, three. Go!"

Gon started scarfing down her sundae, piled high with twenty ice cream scoops of different flavors and ten different toppings ranging from chocolate syrup to sprinkles. Killua sat beside her with an equally impressive dessert, gobbling it up like he hadn't eaten in days.

Gradually, the scoops disappeared, until there were only two. Gon's head started to ache a bit from the brain freeze, but she kept going. Kurapika's eyes flitted between them, soaking up every detail.

"Please don't choke, please don't choke," Leorio muttered under his breath all the while, hands clenched on the table.

Gon almost laughed, but then she remembered she had a sundae to finish. Just half a scoop left.

"Stop," Kurapika announced, slashing the air with her hand, as if it were a real race. "Killua wins."

Gon groaned in disappointment, her face connected to the cold, marble table, and she let the brain freeze win. Killua leaned back in the seat in victory, before catching sight of her mood and patting her on the back, though it was obvious he didn't really care.

"Better luck next time," he said.

Next time? Goodbye, brain freeze.

Gon picked her head up, eyes alit with determination. "Let's go again!"

"No!" they all called.

"That's the third time, Gon," Kurapika reprimanded, the motherly side of her showing.

"It's not healthy!"

"Besides, I've had enough ice cream for a month," Killua climbed onto the Boat of Naysayers.

Gon pouted at her boyfriend, before noticing a bit of ice cream in the corner of his mouth, left over from the chaos. She was probably even more of a mess than he.

Out of curiosity, the girl reached out and swabbed it off with her thumb. She licked it, swallowing and letting the flavor sink in.

"Hmm, chocolate raspberry," she decided. Looking back at the boy, she noticed something strange. "Killua, your face is red again."

Strangely, it was Kurapika who started laughing at them, quickly followed by Leorio, and then a few bystanders. Gon whipped her head around, wondering what was so funny. But then, she started to laugh a bit as well, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment. She supposed it was sort of funny.

Killua didn't laugh, he only reddened further.

Kurapika glanced at her phone then, and Gon's mood was instantly crushed.

"Ah," Kurapika muttered, picking the device up in a slender hand. "It seems I'm needed elsewhere." She lifted her gaze to the two of them. "I'll come see you two later, okay?

Gon put on a bright smile for her friend. "Okay!"

The woman's eyes crinkled at the corners, but there was regret in that gaze. Then, she turned to the blubbering Leorio, offering him a tissue and a exasperated expression. Leorio accepted both and dabbed at his eyes.

"I'm not dying, Leorio," she chastised.

"Yeah, that's what you said last time," he snapped back, "and you joined the mafia and nearly died. What next? Are you taking a trip up the River Styx?"

Kurapika rolled her eyes. "I'll call you. Everyday. I promise."

"You promised every week last time," Leorio pouted. "Then you never picked up the phone again."

"I was busy," she pointed out.

"It takes two minutes!"

"Which I clearly didn't have," Kurapika replied, standing up now. "If something happens to me, Chrollo will call you."

"Heh?" Leorio complained. "You're keeping in touch with that bastard, but you won't agree to having lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Shalnark is 'looking out' for me," Kurapika reminded. "Don't tell me you didn't notice him sitting a few tables away."

Gon and Leorio looked over their shoulders at the boyish man just a little ways away. His nose stuck in his phone. He glance up, and then waved at them, a giant smile on his face.

"You agreed to that?" Leorio asked, frowning at his friend's plight.

"No, but I rather have him than Chrollo hacking into all the government's surveillance systems," she replied. "I'll convince him to loosen up eventually."

Leorio crossed his arms. "That guy doesn't trust you much, huh?"

"The mafia isn't exactly the safest profession," Kurapika replied. Her phone rang again and she excused herself one last time before walking out of the shop.

Gon sighed. She hoped Kurapika would be alright.

. . .

"Hello?" Kurapika answered.

"How does one night turn into four days?" Nico's voice berated. "I was really worried, you know? Neon was close to a mental breakdown when we couldn't reach you. What happened? Are you okay?"

Ah, so the man can be more than just annoying and careless.

"I'm fine. I was . . . sidetracked," she replied.

"It takes two seconds to make a phone call," said Nico, echoing Leorio's words just a few minutes before.

Kurapika smiled at the comparison. "I'm on my way now. I'm hanging up."

"What? Don't you dare, young la-"

"Idiot," she muttered, slipping the phone into her coat pocket.

"Who was that?" Shalnark asked, casually. "You seem pretty friendly."

Kurapika refused to look at him, jumping into a waiting taxi instead. Shalnark followed her inside with a wide smile.

"Nico. He's Neon's brother."

"Oh yeah, Danchou did business with him," Shalnark said. "Danchou called him after he woke up and told him you're taking a few days off. He didn't tell him why, though."

"Why not?"

Shalnark shrugged. "He thought he'd leave the explaining to you."

Kurapika clenched her jaw. Leaving her with the dirty work, huh? Bastard. "Anything else you have to tell me?"

"You have a leaf in your hair."

Kurapika reached up to her crown of golden hair, hands searching. The Spider reached out eventually, and removed the leaf himself.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Don't mention it," he grinned, before a distracted look overtook his face. He was listening to someone. "Danchou wants to know if you want the Eyes delivered to your apartment or . . ."

"Tell him to keep them where they are. I'll come pick them up after work."

"So," the taxi driver suddenly interrupted, "is this Eyes thing a new trend you kids are into these day? What is that? Like a band?"

"They're eyeballs that have been gouged out and put in glass jars of formaldehyde. They're currently being sold on the black market," Kurapika replied, tone perfectly even. It was a common door-in-the-face technique. Tell them the truth, make it outrageous, then cover it up with something else.

The taxi driver glanced in the rear view mirror, eyes narrowing. "You serious?"

Kurapika snorted. "Nope, They're a new series of books. My friend found them overseas, so he bought them for me."

"That's mighty nice of the lad," the driver chatted.

"I think he's making up for getting me mad last time," Kurapika responded, not noticing the shift in her tone.

"Sounds like you two are quite close," said the man.

"We've known each other since we were kids."

"Aw, that's sweet. Nowadays it's hard to find people who've known each other for so long. We tend to cut of our ties as soon as we leave home." The man glanced in one of the side-view mirrors. "Those people friends of yours?"

Cars. Three of them, all following them. They probably had a bone to pick with her. How unfortunate for them.

"Sure are. Think you can outrun them?" she asked, flicking some hair over her shoulder.

"Sweetie, I've outrun a whole army of cars like that. Don't worry. I've got you covered."

Kurapika let out a small chuckle, before carrying on in a most threatening voice, "don't ever call me sweetie again. My name is Kurapika."

"I'm Basi," said the man, taking her threat as a cue to introduce himself.

Kurapika sat back in the leather seat of the car. "I'm not paying you more for this, by the way."

"I wouldn't expect you to, Miss. You look like a right miser to me." He sped up.

"What makes you say that?"

They cut a corner. "Because no Hunter wears clothes as cheap as that, Miss, unless they're hoarding their money away."

Kurapika gazed down at her clothes. She wore a simple cream top and blue jeans, both from second-hand stores where she knew the prices would be cheap. She looked up again.

"Point taken."

"Danchou says he can buy you a new wardrobe if you don't want to spend your own money on it."

"Tell him to mind his own business."

Shalnark, to her horror, actually did. "Miss Kurapika says you should mind your own business, Danchou." The man suddenly reddened. "I can't tell her that! She'll bite my head off!"

. . .

"Thanks, Basi," Kurapika said, as she waited for Shalnark to finish talking with Chrollo. "Let me know if those guys give you any trouble."

"Sure thing, Kurapika," the older man replied, placing his hat back on his graying head of hair. "Hit me up if you ever need someone to drive you out of a tight spot."

"Will do," she replied, and the taxi driver drove off into the horizon. She turned to Shalnark, who had just finished his phone call. "So, let me get this straight. He can see and hear everything you can?"

"That's how bugs typically work, yes," Shalnark replied, backing away a bit at the sight of those red-tinged eyes.

"Tell him to stop."

Shalnark's eyes widened in horror, smile temporarily falling off his boyish face. "But he's my Danchou."

The Kurta studied his face, looking for something that didn't fit in with the Shalnark of yesterday. He wore a suit, still, and his hair hadn't changed. But something was off. Her eyes zeroed in on his right ear.

"It's your earring, isn't it," she stated, before reaching out for the small, green stud. The man moved away, covering his ear with a hand. "Give it to me."

"I can't. It's Danchou's orders," Shalnark replied, skidding away from her, arms held out in front of him as if she was a feral animal instead of a young woman.

"You're a grown man, you can make your own decisions," Kurapika insisted, reaching out for the earring again.

"And my decision is to follow Danchou's orders." Shalnark backed away further, edging towards the entrance to the hotel.

"Kurapika!" someone suddenly attempts to tackle her to the ground, and a faceful of curly, blue hair. Nico pushed her away at an arm's length. "Oh good, you're not dead."

"We just talked on the phone a few minutes ago," Kurapika pointed out.

"Your life could've ended in those few minutes!"

Kurapika sighed. "Can you let me go now?"

Nico pursed his lips, before letting his hands fall to his sides. "Fine. What happened?"

"I was almost killed by my ex-boyfriend's older brother," she replied.

"Do you want me to go beat him up?"

"He's dead, but if you want to beat up a corpse, then have at it."

There was silence, and then, "Dead? Did you?"

"Yes."

". . . Shit."

"Language."

"You just killed someone. I think me letting a few swear words slip is the least of our worries," Nico said, crossing his arms. Kurapika ignored him, heading for the doors instead.

"He had it coming."

. . .

There was something different about the hotel. Something other than the fact that they were packing up to leave. There were more people, but two of their comrades were missing. Tocino and Baise were both gone. Prince Rohan and his entourage were there, except now, they looked like ordinary people. And Rohan, well, he wasn't a prince anymore.

"What is going on?" she asked.

Eliza, the maid, answered for her. "Tocino and Baise are still unaccounted for. We think they were killed by the Phantom Troupe."

Another thing to yell at Chrollo for.

"And Prince, well, Princess Rohan, she's been exiled from her country."

Silence.

"What?" Kurapika deadpanned. She left for five seconds and the world's gone to hell. Why was she not surprised?

Nico intervened. "Her family died, she's a suspect, and if she goes back now, she'll be thrown in jail and probably executed."

" . . . Shit."

"Language."

. . .

"Thanks, Basi," Kurapika sighed, tiredly, removing herself from the taxi.

"Rough day at work?" asked the elderly cabbie.

"You could say that," she replied, yawning. "Do you mind waiting out here?"

The man shook his head. "No prob, kid."

The Kurta gave him a grateful smile, before heading into the apartment building where Gon and Killua were staying.

"DAMN IT! I'LL MAKE HIM EAT HIS WORDS!" a voice shook through the building.

Oh dear. Gon was angry. Kurapika caught Killua outside the room, and wondered if Gon had kicked him out.

"Any words of advice?" she asked.

"Proceed with caution," he replied, before bringing out a taser and sticking it in one of his arms. The taser fell from his hands, but whether it was from the shock, or Killua's laziness, she wasn't sure.

"You okay?" she queried, remembering that the Zoldycks had been subjected to electricity since childhood.

"I'm great," Killua responded in a chilling tone. He held out his hands, and for a few seconds, she saw sparks run between his palms.

Right. Killua was a transmuter. It was certainly possible for him to change his aura into electricity. How clever. Kurapika felt a swell of pride fill her chest. It was a moving scene, really.

"Be careful," she warned, before disappearing through the doorway. Gon stood there, in a fighting stance, aura bursting out from her. Such determination.

"Look who's taking initiative," Kurapika teased, hand on the doorframe. Gon's head whipped around, aura dying off. A giant grin soon took hold of her expression. Kurapika responded with a small smile of her own.

The younger girl suddenly fell on the ground, losing her balance, but that didn't stop her from talking a mile a minute. "Kurapika! You really came like you promised! Is everything alright? You look really tired? You could take a nap over here if you want! I don't mind! Killua doesn't mind! Oh, wait. Killua!?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if Kurapika takes a nap here?"

Kurapika could almost feel the begrudging smile on the boy's face seeping into his words. "No. Do what you want."

Gon beamed back up at her. "So, how was work?"

Kurapika collapsed on the couch, one knuckle touching her forehead for drama's sake, and Gon giggled a bit. The blonde woman suddenly broke off on a rant in a rather posh accent. "Horrible! Everyone keeps coming to me with their troubles. It's like we don't have a boss they could go to with all their grievances. Not to mention, they keep making me wear those tacky suits! Oh, goodness, I would rather to be tossed into a pit of snakes rather than to waste another day among those vultures!"

Giggling filled the room as Kurapika finished her rant, and the young woman secretly congratulated herself. Now, she could cut to the chase.

"So, what about you?" the blonde asked. "Did you get the game?"

She shook her head. "I wanted to help the winner clear it, but he said we were still too weak. Our Nens aren't developed enough yet. We're working on our Hatsus now."

Kurapika sat up, serious again. "I see. That's unfortunate. Have you thought of anything yet?"

Gon shook her head. "Say, what kind of training did you do?"

"Once I decided to conjure chains," Kurapika explained, "I did a lot of image training. I closed my eyes while feeling real chains. I drew hundreds of sketches. I looked a chains, licked chains. I also smelled and listened to chains. My master told me to do nothing but handle chains all the time. After a while, she took them away. That was around the time I started to hallucinate chains. Eventually, those hallucinations begin to feel heavy and cold, and I could hear them grating. Once I reached that point, I was able to conjure them." The woman smiled again, gesturing towards Gon. "Other than that, I did the same training as you. Ten and Ren."

"You licked chains?" Gon repeated, caught between being amazed by Kurapika's resolve and a sort of amused shock that she'd gone so far. Then again, this was Kurapika.

"It wasn't my idea," Kurapika insisted. "My master was getting back at me for a prank I might've played on her."

Gon giggled. "You played a prank on them?"

"Yes," Kurapika sighed, "she didn't seem to like it very much. It kind of hurt, honestly. I spent a lot of time on that prank."

"What did you do?"

"I switched her hair products with pastel hair dye," replied Kurapika, shrugging as if she found no problem in her deeds. "I thought it made her look younger. The worst part was that I had to make them from scratch. It's rather difficult to find hair dye in the middle of a forest, you know?"

"So, are you going home after this?" Gon asked.

"Yeah, I'll be going to pick up Komugi and Bahari from Miss Ayumi's house," Kurapika said. "Komugi's last gungi match is tomorrow, so she's leaving to go back home after that."

Her voice cracked a bit at the thought. She might never be able to see Komugi again. She'd be back in the Mitene Union, back to Gorteau, where no one treated her the way they should. She'd be alone again. And through all the that, she was willing to go back. In some ways, that poor girl was braver than all of them put together.

"I'm sure she'll find a way to keep in touch," Gon reassured.

Kurapika's face softened. Sometimes, she wondered if Gon could subconsciously read other people's thoughts. The youngest Freecss had a way of understanding other people's plights.

"About your Hatsu . . ." Kurapika trailed off.

An epiphany flashed in front of Gon's eyes, and the girl pressed her fist into her open palm. "I know! You can be my master! You know so much already! I'm sure you can help me find mine!"

Kurapika froze at the girl's proclamation. Her? A Nen teacher? The idea was almost laughable. Her own Nen had been made on a taboo of sorts. She broke every rule to safe Hatsu formation. She couldn't. Besides, Kurapika was needed elsewhere.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Kurapika said, shooting her down with the sharp pang of rejection. "Neon is leaving soon. As her bodyguard, I am obligated to accompany her."

"You're leaving YorkNew City?" Gon asked.

"Yeah," Kurapika replied, running her fingers through her impeccably groomed, honey-colored locks. "It's my fault, actually, Neon noticed I looked tired when I came back and that I've been taking days off during the auction, and, well, she might have overreacted. So, we're heading back tomorrow."

Gon frowned, calculating the pros and cons in her head. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea. What about the Spiders?"

Kurapika's lips pulled into a line, as she thought about Chrollo and his friends. Where was Shalnark, anyway? Sure, she'd left him back at the hotel, but she would've thought he'd catch up to her by now. "I think I'll just wallow in my confusion and self-pity for a while. Five years of hatred is, uh, rather difficult to rub off."

"But you won't go hunting after them," Gon said, wanting as much clarification as possible.

"No, I'll just make their lives miserable every now and then. You know, use my influence over the Head to change things a bit," Kurapika confessed, hoping it didn't sound as suggestive as it did in her head. "Killing isn't a part of who I am. No matter what the reason is. I think I'll just focus on the Scarlet Eyes for now."

Gon grinned. Kurapika really was getting better. "That's great! But I don't think it'll be that easy to change things in the Spider."

"You'd be surprised. I can be very persuasive," Kurapika said, proudly, placing a hand on her chest.

"Especially when he still wants you back," the words spilled over, and Gon slapped a hand over her mouth, grinning.

Kurapika's eyes flashed red, the color fled her face before retreating and rushing back into it as a bright red blush, and her lips opened just a smidge in shock, and then, "Igonia Sonya Freecss! My love life is none of your business!"

Gon snickered despite trying to keep up a serious mask. "Sorry, it just slipped out. Personally, I think your eloquent speech and reason will definitely win him over!"

One pale eyebrow rose, doubtful. Why was it so hard for people to believe that Kurapika and Chrollo could be in a friendly relationship with no benefits? The only benefits here were enlightening conversations and mutual respect.

Goodness, even she didn't believe that crap.

Gon grinned in response. "It's true! I think you'll be great friends. You'll be like his right hand woman."

Kurapika scoffed, turning her face away as she fumed on the inside. "In other news. About your Nen. You should probably contact Bisky or Wing for that. They'd probably know better than I."

The Kurta stood up from the couch, still frowning slightly. "Well, I should be going. My charge waits. Call me once you figure it out."

Gon's face lit up at that last remark. Kurapika smirked, before bidding her goodbye.

Killua stood outside, electricity flowing between his hands freely now.

"Stay safe. Remember your boundaries. Don't -"

The Zoldyck rolled his eyes, still focused on his aura. "Yes, mom. Same goes for you."

Kurapika shook her head, fondly, walking down the stairs. As promised, when she got to the main entrance, Basi still waited.

"That was quick," he said. "Where to next?"

"Maybrooke Manor," replied Kurapika, taking out her phone.

Basi whistled, "rich part of town, eh? You have some powerful friends, Miss."

Kurapika smirked, "you have no idea."

5 new messages.

She clicked it open and was met with what could only be Chrollo, telling her to stop bullying his Spiders.

'Shalnark just came back to the base. He said you left him at the hotel - C'

'He wasn't smiling. Do you know how hard it is to get him down - C'

'Honestly, Pika-chan, you could've at least gave him a heads up - C'

'Be safe - C'

'I swear if I don't see back home by eleven, I'm tearing this city apart - C'

She rolled her eyes at the last one. Well, she rolled her eyes at all of them, but the last got the most eye-rolling.

'I'm fine. Please stop spamming my phone.'

She got an answer just a few seconds later.

'My point still stands. Eleven. - C'

Such tyranny. Kurapika wondered if he really would comb through all of York New just to find her. The woman wasn't about to test it out.

"Look at you, smiling and being happy. That your boyfriend or something?" Basi inquired from the driver's seat.

"Just a friend, albeit an amusing one."

. . .

Chrollo closed his eyes, as if to take a nap in the upper levels of the abandoned church they currently occupied. In his mind's eye, he could picture Kurapika, wearing those old clothes and her blonde hair let loose to cascade down to her shoulders. A small smile had made its way to her lips. His smile. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a smug spark to her eyes, as if she'd just solved a riddle.

And then his eyes opened, and Kurapika vanished, replaced by cold, gray stone walls.

Pathetic. What use would daydreaming give? It'll just serve to make you want her more.

Chrollo snapped the book shut. He could go see her now. After all, they hadn't cut things off, just changed them a bit.

But it was too early for casual chit-chat. She probably wouldn't except, "I wanted to see you," as a valid reason to see her so soon.

His phone buzzed again, and he dug into his coat pockets to retrieve it.

'I was five minutes late. Please tell me you haven't terrorized anyone yet,' read the text.

He smiled and then slipped his phone back into his pocket. Let her worry a bit. Chrollo stood up, that warm feeling still tugging on his chest. He did a quick head count. Everyone was there, circled around Phinks and Feitan, who were in turn circled around a JoyStation game console.

"What is this?" he asked, jumping down from the second story, and then walking on like nothing had happened.

"It's a game where you actually die," Shalnark answered, excitedly, memories of Kurapika leaving him behind forgotten for the time being. "It's called Greed Island."

Greed Island? The one the Freecss girl was looking for?

Phinks suddenly vanished.

"Looks like it works," Feitan whispered, before holding out his arms over the game and let his aura flow. And then, he vanished as well.

Chrollo raised an eyebrow. "This certainly sounds like something you'd be interested in."

"Are you going in too, Danchou?" Machi asked. The rest patiently awaited his verdict. If he was going, they were too.

"No, I have some things I still need to settle in reality. But if you do go, keep an eye on the Freecss girl. It doesn't seem safe for an amateur Nen user, no matter how skilled."

They nodded.

"What business do you have to settle?" Nobunaga asked, ready to help if he needed it.

"Ah, just cleaning up my brother's mess, as usual," Chrollo replied. "After all, his network spreads to every corner of the world. I need to get rid of it."

"WE CAN HELP!" they all said, ever so eager to help.

Chrollo smiled, fondly. "I think I'll tackle this one on my own, but I appreciate the offer."

They visibly deflated.

"But you can help clean the cargo out. You know, the thing you were supposed to finish doing yesterday?"

They all groaned but begrudgingly got to work. He shook his head like an amused but completely exasperated mother.

He felt a delicate hand on his shoulder. "So, Danchou, what else is keeping you here?" A second later. "Oh, you two are obsessed with one another."

"Paku, stop reading my memories, please," he sighed.

"Apologies, Danchou, but do you really think I give a shit if you want them read or not?"

"No," he sighed. "How much did you see?"

"Everything. Your dreams are adorable, by the way," she chuckled.

He clenched his jaw in annoyance. "Those dreams are my only escape, please leave them alone."

"Ah, don't be shy. I think they're pretty reasonable. Better than some others I've seen. You don't want to know what Phinks dreams about."

"HEY!" Phinks yelled. "You said you wouldn't mention that ever again!"

"I have no recollection of this occurrence," Pakunoda deadpanned.

. . .

Kurapika sighed, as the pristine water hit her. This was just what she needed after a day like this. A long, hot shower, and then she'd curl up in bed, and for once, go to sleep like a normal person. When was the last time she could go to sleep feeling so relaxed? Not since she finished school . . . not since Chrollo.

She heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"Um, Miss Kurapika, your cell phone keeps ringing," Komugi notified, voice stuttering as usual.

"I'll be right out," she called. "Thank you, Komugi."

"O-oh, no need to th-thank me," the girl stuttered, and Kurapika chuckled to herself. Such a sweet girl. How could anyone be cruel to her?

Kurapika donned her pajamas. Made with lavender, silky fabric that was comfortable to sleep in no matter the temperature. They'd also been a gift from Chrollo, because silk was expensive and she wasn't spending hundreds of Jenny on clothing.

She walked into the dining room, remembering she'd left her phone on the table. Komugi was sitting on the floor, a gungi board laid out in front of her. She was playing against herself again.

Kurapika and Bahari exchanged a look, and the lion almost seemed to nod at her.

"Komugi, do you mind if I play a round with you?" Kurapika asked, gently, sitting down in front of the girl.

The girl stared up with big, blue eyes, the ones she only opened during Gungi matches, and shook her head fervently.

Kurapika smiled, before saying, "archer to nine five."

Komugi thought for a second, before making her move.

By now, Kurapika was aware she would lose. She posed no challenge for the younger girl, but having someone play with her made Komugi happy and that was enough of a reward.

They spent another half hour planning, before the girl finally started to drift off right at the table. Komugi made the last move to their last round, and then promptly fell asleep. Her self-proclaimed guardian smiled, before standing and moving around the board to pick Komugi up in her arms. She stumbled a bit, but managed to maintain her balance. A few meters away, Bahari made a laughing sound.

The Kurta pouted, glaring at the beast. "Conjurers aren't known for their superhuman strength, you know."

The lion yawned, as if telling her he didn't buy her excuse.

She almost responded, before catching and reminding herself that this was an animal she was talking to.

And so, Kurapika carried Komugi off to her bed, tucked her in, before shutting off the light in her room, all the while ignoring the lion's stare. Then, she strolled back to the dining room and grabbed her phone of the table.

"Goodnight, Bahari."

The lion growled in response. Kurapika felt her chest grow tight. This would be there last day in here. Their last day with Komugi. Undoubtedly, the lion knew that too.

Her phone buzzed again, and she strolled into her bedroom and lit up the screen.

Fifteen new messages. Five missed calls.

She clicked on the calls first and noted they were all from Leorio. Idiot, he should know she only responded to texts unless she was in a splendidly blissful mood.

The messages came from a variety of people: Nico, jokingly reminding her she still needed to come to work tomorrow. Leorio, mostly worrying about her wellbeing. And finally Chrollo, with just a single message.

'Are you there, Kurapika? - C'

She narrowed her eyes. What an uncharacteristically simple question.

'Yeah.'

His response came a few minutes later.

'What are you still doing awake? Go to sleep. I am not bailing you out with work tomorrow. - C'

She sniggered, smothering the laugh with a hand. Manipulative, cunning, magnificent little bastard.

Another message appeared below.

'And remember to shut the window before you go to sleep. - C'

How did he . . .

She thought it was better not to ask. The Kurta quickly made her way to the white-framed window, pushing it closed.

When she returned, yet another message was waiting for her.

'Sweet dreams. - C'

She quickly typed a response.

'Likewise.'

Kurapika pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, before placing the phone back on the nightstand. The Kurta turned on her side, to the wall, away from the phone, and for a brief moment, she wished she wasn't alone. She remembered a time when she hadn't been. It wasn't too difficult. The woman had to simply look back about a week, when Chrollo had taken her out to lunch, to dinner, and eventually let her spend the night. Nights with him had always been so much warmer, somehow.

The moment dissolved a second later. That was no longer something she was allowed to want.

. . .

 **(A/N: We're starting over! Alright, so "Saving Princess Rohan: The Best Princess and Neon's most beloved" has now started. I changed it because I was like "you know, Neon being in love with a princess would be ten times more interesting" and so Prince Rohan became Princess Rohan in disguise. BTW, this arc is 80% mutual KuroKura pining and 20% Rohan stuff. Don't worry, I'll include some Greed Island elements towards the end.)**


	17. Of Games and Departures

**The Locking of the Heart:**

 **Chapter 17:**

 **Of Games and Departures**

"Is this really necessary?" Kurapika asked, giving the assortment of questionable human beings a drained look. Komugi stood beside her, a confused look on her face.

"You said you were worried about Neon and Rohan being ambushed," Nico pouted, "though you showed no such concern for me."

"Irrelevant."

"Sorry," he offered, gesturing to Chrollo. "Anyway, I called Luci."

"Luci?"

"We have nicknames for each other," Nico chirped, throwing an arm around Chrollo's shoulders. The other man said nothing, did nothing, and probably felt nothing as well because sociopath.

Kurapika was vaguely aware of the eyes lingering on them and instantly recalled the photos that had been taken of the Troupe. Every second out here was a second closer to discovery.

"Let's go," she declared, taking Komugi's frail hand in her own. The younger girl held on for dear life, though, she often did. She wasn't used to having someone there to hold onto, Kurapika supposed. The woman glanced towards the Phantom Troupe Head. "Chrollo, keep your over-sized children in line."

"Yes, ma'am," he quipped.

Kurapika ignored him, handing Komugi's backstage pass to the usher. The man gave her a charming smile, which she returned for all ten seconds of their shared gaze. Then, he turned away, and her scowl returned.

"Two-faced," Chrollo murmured, so close that she could feel the heat radiating of his body. She moved forward a few steps.

"You're one to talk." Her heart fell a bit as the words stumbled out, an inkling of guilt crawling into it.

He just laughed. "Don't worry, I won't judge."

Kurapika lowered her eyes but didn't speak. She pointed out their seats and then took Komugi to her assigned Gungi board.

The girl sat down on one of the red cushions, a bit of snot running from her nose. Kurapika kneeled down next to her and offered her a golden, lace handkerchief. She gratefully accepted it and blew her nose very, very loudly.

"Good luck, Komugi," said the Kurta, patting down her white locks as a mother would.

"Th-thank you, Miss Kurapika," Komugi replied. She tried to hand the handkerchief back to her, but Kurapika respectfully declined. It was a gift from Neon, but surely, the young Nostrade wouldn't mind too much if she gave it away for a good cause.

"Knock 'em dead."

"What? I couldn't!"

Kurapika chuckled. "It's an expression, Komu. Do your best, okay?"

Komugi put on a brave face, her eyebrows strewn together, her lips pulled into a thin, determined line. "Of course!"

"That's my World Champion," Kurapika said, fondly, as she stood up. "I'll be watching from the stands the whole time."

"Promise?" she asked, face turned in her general direction, eyes still sealed shut.

"Promise."

The Kurta cast one more fond glance at Komugi, a few more hostile glares towards her opponents, and then met Chrollo's gaze from where he sat in one of the cushioned chairs. A small smile graced his face, as he sat with one leg over the other, like some overlord who'd found something finally worth his time.

She scaled the red and gold steps to her overlord and chose a seat right beside him.

"Now, that was adorable," he said, his hand cupping his chin in the way great thinkers often did.

Kurapika loosened her tie. Goodness, why didn't she change into something more comfortable for this event? She tugged a bit harder and the knot became untied, the black fabric unravelling.

"Who made these things, anyway? I can hardly breathe," Kurapika muttered. She glanced back at Chrollo, whose eyes had widened just a smidge, his lips parted a bit. "You okay?"

A devilish grin spread across his face, and he leaned his chin on the palm of his hand, his face mere inches from hers. "M'lady, are you so intent on seducing me? I assure you that it's unnecessary."

She gave him an unimpressed look and shoved his face away with her hand.

"Ah, the sharp pang of rejection," Chrollo murmured, mournfully.

"We broke up just a few weeks ago. Show some self-control," she scolded.

Chrollo chuckled, eyes nostalgic. "Oh, the number of times you've said that to me."

"It's not my fault you overstep your boundaries."

"It certainly didn't seem to bother you so much back then," he teased, the back of his hand brushing over her cheek.

Behind them, a voice coughed. Kurapika turned to see a blushing horde of people. Nico was smiling like the demon from Hell he was. His sister's face was bright red against her blue hair. Rohan looked a bit confused, poor girl. Everyone else was a mix of jealousy and embarrassment.

"Look at you two, flirting like there's no tomorrow," Nico chirped, playfully.

"Nico, don't say things that you don't understand," Kurapika scolded.

"How cruel," both men drawled, and Kurapika had to divide her glare power among the two.

Her focused returned to the matches. There were only two more contestants Komugi had to play against, and Kurapika knew Komugi could beat them. But, she wouldn't be Kurapika if she didn't panic at least a little bit.

"Spy to 5x5," Komugi made the first move.

The boy across from her smirked, smugly. "Knight to 4x6."

Komugi's spy was immediately swallowed up by the knight, but Kurapika could tell she'd done it on purpose. It was a trap.

"C'mon, Elan!" a woman yelled from a few seats away. "Beat that invalid!"

A string inside Kurapika snapped, and she whipped her head around to the woman. "Jeering is strictly prohibited by title XXI in the book of conduct. If you do not wish to be escorted outside, then I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

The woman stared at her for a second. "Excuse me? Do you have any idea to whomst you're talking to?"

"Someone who is clearly trying to retain their authority even though they cannot pronounce the word they are attempting to use to reaffirm their status?"

The woman, dressed all in a jarring purple, decked out in expensive jewelry and a matching feathered hat, crossed her arms. "And who are you?"

"A woman who would very much like to spend the rest of this match not having to listen to your remarks."

"I'm quite certain that the last time I checked we were still able to say whatever we wish without punishment," said the purple monstrosity.

"Oh, I'm not punishing you. I just think you're being an arsehole and would prefer it didn't affect my experience."

Beside her, Chrollo chuckled.

"What's going on?" a man asked. Handsome he was, but he was also dressed in gaudy, expensive clothes. Kurapika had noticed him descending the steps just seconds before. She should've known the purple gremlin and him were related.

"Oh, Karol!" the woman said. "You'll never believe what just happened." She pointed at Kurapika in a most accusatory manner. "This skank has the audacity to try and tell me what to do? Throw her out! She's causing a scene!"

Kurapika felt rather offended. Her tone had been artfully emotionless throughout.

Karol gave her a scrutinizing look, an eyebrow rose, and then a smirk spread across his face. "How about I offer you a bargain?"

"Pardon?"

"Let me buy you a drink some time?"

"Karol!"

He raised his hand to silence her, eyes still on the pretty Kurta, who remained unaffected by the whole ordeal.

Kurapika gestured to Chrollo, who gave her a strange look as he tried to figure out what she was about to do. "This is my boyfriend. He kills people for fun. What do you think he'd do to someone he hates?"

"Well, it's like I always say," Karol said, shrugging. "If there's no ring, there's a chance."

She turned to Chrollo. "Wanna get married?"

"We'll pick out our rings after the match. There's a nice jewelry shop not far from here," he said, intertwining their fingers.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied, laying her head on Chrollo's shoulder. "By the way, sexual harassment is punishable by law. I suggest you never come near me again."

The man snorted, before turning to the purple lady. "Come, Vanessa, this isn't a fight we'll win."

The two of them returned to their seats, and Kurapika barely caught the, "I can't believe you would've left me for that slut," leave Vanessa's lips.

Kurapika exhaled. "Finally."

Her "boyfriend" chuckled, "you really can't leave things like these alone."

"I don't see why I should. They were being stupid."

"Karol certainly hasn't changed."

"Wait, you know him?"

"Hmm, he's from Meteor City. Took a habit to stealing, or well, trying to steal things from me," he hummed, pressing a absentminded kiss to her forehead. This was enough to snap her out of the strange trance she'd been put under. She withdrew her hand and straightened.

"Damn, Peeks," Nico said. "Let the guy love you."

"Shut up, Nico."

. . .

Komugi's first match came to an end about thirty minutes later, and the next contestant, a young girl with smoky black hair and intelligent eyes, came up the stage. She sat down on the other side of the Gungi board. The two bowed and exchanged a few words, before the other girl spoke.

"Archer to 5x9."

"Fortress to 6x8," Komugi replied, moving her piece across the board.

"Pawn to 7x9."

"Duke to 8x12."

One by one the girls got rid of the other's defenses, until eventually, their losses were equal. And then, the girl with the smoky hair made a move, one Kurapika was certain even Komugi couldn't circumvent.

That was ridiculous, though. Komugi couldn't lose.

 _But what if she did?_

The black tie wrung around her hand. Then unravelled, before she began again in that nervous habit of hers. Her hands were caught, Chrollo's warmth encircling them, as he leaned in close to her ear.

"Believe in her. She knows what she's doing," he whispered, assuredly.

Komugi sat there, in shock, for a few seconds, her eyes widened with familiarity and love, before they were quickly replaced by a sort of solemnity.

She moved a single piece, and with that, she won the game. Kurapika let go of the breath she'd been holding, her face buried in her hands. Chrollo rubbed her back as a sign of comfort.

. . .

"Are you sure you have everything?" Kurapika double-checked.

Komugi nodded profusely, "yes, yes Miss Kurapika."

"You've only asked her a dozen times," Chrollo muttered. Kurapika shot him a glare. He'd been the only one who'd accompanied her to the hotel. The only one stubborn enough to come despite her repeated attempts to dissuade him.

"Miss Kurapika?"

"Yes, Komugi?"

"I'm r-really going to miss you," the girl said, wringing the fabric of her blouse in her shaking hands.

Kurapika smiled. "I'll miss you, too, Komu."

"And I really . . ." she trailed off, as she tried to gather her courage again and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, "I really hope we meet again someday.

Kurapika's brow furrowed. "Hope? Of course, we'll meet again." The Kurta tsked. "Oh, I forgot to buy you that cellphone on the way back."

"Cellphone?"

Kurapika's heart warmed instantly, and she placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Of course, I wasn't about to let you break off all contact with me. We'll put in Mr. Chrollo's number as well. How's that sound?"

The girl blushed. "Oh, that's not necessary! I couldn't impose."

Kurapika laughed. "Don't worry. It takes only a few seconds to put in a phone number, and I'm sure Mr. Chrollo," insert pointed look here, "would love to hear from you from time to time."

"Whatever it takes to keep m'lady happy," he teased.

Bahari nudged Kurapika, suddenly, and pointed his muzzle towards the clock. It read _5:00._

"Oh, we better get going," Kurapika said, keeping her voice up-beat. "Are you sure you have ever-"

"Yes," the both answered.

"Right."

. . .

They got Komugi a voice-activated phone, so all she had to do to call one of them was tell the phone. It used a self-charging battery as well, so she didn't have to worry about her phone suddenly dying.

"I'll call you as often as I can -"

"Which means hardly ever."

"Which means at least once a week, don't listen to Mr. Chrollo, he's just jealous that I like you more than him," Kurapika reassured, shifting a bit to move Komugi further from the terrible influence that was Mr. Chrollo.

"It's true," Chrollo confirmed.

 _"All aboard airship 19 to the Republic of East Gorteau,"_ a disembodied voice called, perky and feminine.

 _Time to rattle off her last orders._

She kneeled down and took Komugi's shoulders. "Don't let them walk all over you, stay out of the cold, ask for tissues when you need them, make sure to eat a well-balanced diet."

 _"Last call for airship 19! Get on the freakin' blimp, losers!"_ the voice said, still perky.

"Alright," Kurapika said, releasing the younger girl and standing, "I suppose this is goodbye."

"Y-yes," Komugi replied. Kurapika gave her a torn look, before wrapping her arms around the Gungi champion, who stood stiff for the second it took her body to respond. It didn't take her long to start blubbering. "I-I'm really go-going to m-miss yo-ou."

"I know, I know," Kurapika whispered, "but you'll be alright, and soon, I'll come visit you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Komugi's eyes continued to overflow with tears, snot running from her nose unrelentingly, but she nodded and turned away, walking towards the entrance of the airship, cane in hand. Kurapika watched, fists clenched as she let one of the sweetest people she'd met walk back into a life that treated her horribly.

 _"I don't fit in anywhere else. I don't deserve so much kindness. My life is in Gorteau,"_ she'd said when Kurapika had asked if she'd prefer to stay with her. It was Komugi's choice. She deserved to have a voice, at least.

A hand settled on her shoulder.

"You're doing the right thing."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because it's the opposite of what I'd do," Chrollo replied.

Kurapika shrugged his hand off, making her way back to the large glass airport. "You keep bringing that up."

Chrollo caught up with ease. "Bringing what up?"

"The past. I'm surprised you're even here, honestly. Would've thought you'd rather keep your distance, and yet, here you are, like nothing had happened. Following me around everywhere," Kurapika explained, trying to keep her voice casual and distant, the way Chrollo did when he wanted to hide things from her.

"You said it was alright to be friends," Chrollo said. "Do you want me to leave?"

Kurapika pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "No. Not exactly."

"Then, what do you want?"

 _So much._

"Doesn't it faze you at all. Not being able to be with me?" Kurapika asked. She bit her lip, regretting how whiny it had come out.

"But, I am with you," Chrollo replied. "That's all I want. Whether it's platonically or romantically, being with you is what I've wanted from the start."

 _Liar._ He definitely wanted her. Or, he'd better be, because she certainly hadn't gotten rid of that part yet.

"But you -"

"Can try. I'm not saying it's easy not being able to show my love in other ways, but you've been hurt enough. You deserve some peace at least, and some support that you can't cut off all communication with."

Silence engulfed them, as Kurapika calculated her response.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

 **. End of Chapter 17 .**

 **Next:**

 **Kurapika and Nico teach Rohan how to be a leader.**

 **A/N: Kinda don't like how this chapter ended, but whatever. Next chapter, things really heat up. I'll reply to reviews later. I'm kinda at my writing limit for today.**


	18. Of Tutors and Teachings

**A/N: I'm sorry I'm late, and I'm sorry there's so much OCs, but canon characters just don't fit the mold sometimes.**

 **Beta Reader: Amazing Sweets Dreamer. Go check out her stories as well. They're far better paced than mine.**

 **The Locking of the Heart:**

 **Chapter Eighteen: Of Tutors and Teachings**

Rohan had never been fond of school. It wasn't that she disliked learning, or that she couldn't grasp the concepts presented to her. She just didn't like the idea of sitting in one place for so long, listening to stuffy governesses talk about things they never really learned themselves. The young Princess had always preferred to learn things hands-on.

"Left!"

That being said . . .

"Now right. Faster!"

She would most definitely prefer a written test in martial arts to being subjected to the scary blonde woman's training.

Miss Kurapika was watching her at a comfortable distance, her eyes following Rohan's every move. They were in the courtyard back in the Nostrade mansion, in a spacious pavilion, surrounded by gardens of rose bushes and lilacs and lavender, which smelled lovely but didn't quite set the mood. They were supposed to keep her calm as she fought her animated assailants - robots, apparently, a new technology developed by one of Kurapika's friends, or rather, one of her boyfriend's friends. Kurapika thought they were perfect playmates for Rohan. But . . . but . . . it really hurt when she hit them! Those things were made of metal, dammit!

"Better," Kurapika complimented, as Rohan dashed around the pavilion, "but remember your strength in this attack comes from your core."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"And don't be afraid to put your whole strength into it. The more damage you deal, the better. We'll teach you how to control it later on when we move on to real people."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Now, take a break and give me fifty push-ups," she ordered, jumping down from her perch atop one of the stone, horizontal beams that circled around the pavilion.

"That is not a break," Rohan mumbled, though she got into her push-up position regardless and started on her appointed task.

Kurapika pretended not to have heard, but Rohan knew by now that the woman was a force to be reckoned with. She could hear a pin fall in a crowded, rowdy room. She chose not to respond, silent and cold as ice, like an evil Queen who was ready to rip some hearts out. What a terrifying energy.

"Lunchtime!" Neon's brother sang, skipping towards them with bags of food in his arms. "I got us some sandwiches, and drinks, and fries. You're gonna _love_ their fries. Give me a sec to drag the others out here. God, it's a beautiful day to be alive!"

"What's with him?" Rohan asked.

"I wish I knew," Kurapika replied, dryly. "Well, what are you stopping for? It'll take him at least five minutes to round everybody up, you can get a lot of push-ups done in that time."

Rohan groaned but carried on. Damn, was this her punishment for always cutting gym class back in the palace?

Five minutes later, Rohan was on the brink of passing out from exhaustion, Kurapika was still sitting on her trusty stone beam, and Nico was whistling his way towards them with one and a half dozen people, maids and bodyguards alike. Rohan's heart fluttered a bit, heat coloring her cheeks, as Neon walked towards them in a flowing yellow summer dress. It suited her bright blue hair beautifully.

"Hello, Rohan," Neon greeted her with a smile. "Training hard?"

Rohan quickly got to her feet and bowed deeply, as was the custom in Araulia. "Yes, Miss Kurapika has been training me well."

"She's a great teacher, isn't she?" the girl said, most fondly, a tender look on her voice, and Rohan felt her heart fall a bit. So much love was directed at someone else entirely, how was she to overcome it?

"Yes, she certainly pushes you to your limit," Rohan admitted, glancing at the woman, who was currently being pulled into a one-armed hug with Nico as he took a picture - a selfie, it was called here? Kurapika had already taken a bite of her sandwich and appeared rather miffed at being distracted from her food.

"Lulu's gonna love this picture!" Nico proclaimed, grinning as he kept Kurapika's attempts to snatch his phone away at bay. He ran to Neon and hid behind her, as Kurapika advanced towards them with her sandwich abandoned in its paper wrappings on the beam she'd been sitting on.

Nico cackled as the girl circled around Neon in an effort to reach him. "Give it back, Nico!"

"Why? Afraid your boyfriend will see it?" Nico teased.

"Nico Nostrade, that is none of your concern!"

"Yeah, I know, but I'm a meddler, so I practically have to do something about your mess of a relationship," Nico replied.

"It's not a mess."

Nico gave her a pointed look, and she relented. "Alright, it's a bit of a mess, but I'd prefer to clean it up myself."

The man pursed his lips, nodding, "I can respect that." His eyes fell on his phone and enlarged until it looked almost painful. "Damn! I dialed his number!" He shoved it in Kurapika's hands and hid behind her. "You smooth things over with him, Kurapika."

The girl tossed a glare over her shoulder and put the phone to her ear. "Hey, Chrollo."

. . .

The last of Roro's men collapsed on the ground, a sickly gray pallor overtaking his face, his eyes still wide open in horror. Chrollo felt a swell of disgust towards the man, begging for his life when he had taken so many other people's lives and would've undoubtedly taken Kurapika's if Chrollo had allowed him to live. Chrollo's own value of other people's lives might be minimal, but he applied the same value to his own. He would never beg because there wasn't anything worth saving.

His phone rang through the morose atmosphere, that strangely joyous sound grossly juxtaposing the death of the man at his feet. His eyes slipped down to look at the caller ID. _'Nico the Great,'_ was written in blue digital letters.

"What is it, Nostrade?" he asked, distractedly, as he cleaned up the mess of a body with his Fun Fun Cloth. The job was done in a matter of seconds, and he started walking away from his crimes. Just another smartly dressed man in his late twenties on the phone with a business associate.

"Hey, Chrollo." That wasn't the Nostrade boy. Chrollo's mouth fell open a bit, as he held back a sharp intake of breath. Kurapika. The shock wore off, replaced by tenderness. What a strange tone. It seemed she'd been caught off guard with the call. Nico probably saddled her with the responsibility of talking things through with him.

"To what do I owe the honor of hearing your lovely voice, M'lady?" he teased. It was hard not to revert back to his old habits around her.

"Nico's butterfingers."

He chuckled. "Go easy on the poor man. It must not be easy having to be around you 24/7."

"Oh please, you and I both know you'd die for a chance like that," she replied, and her confidence rang clear in those words. He supposed he preferred her conviction to insecurity, though having her get a little bit jealous from time to time wouldn't be completely unwelcome. Ah, but she'd undoubtedly scream his ear off if he schemed something so trivial.

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't suffer under your rule, my Queen," he continued, and what he would give to see her reaction right then.

He felt eyes on him then. The eyes of women and men alike, lustful and filled with the sort of desire he'd never seen even once in the eyes of Kurapika, though he doubted he himself was free of it.

"What are you doing now?"

He glanced back the way he came. "Just thinning out my brother's network."

"I see," Kurapika replied, her voice laced with an underlying sense of dissatisfaction. She hated the fact that he'd gone on this killing spree. Strangely enough, when he'd told her of his plans the day before he left on his little side quest, she did nothing to stop him. She just gazed up at him with that solemn gaze, the gaze of a woman who used to solely blame him for her sorrow.

"It's the last of them now," he added, ignoring the persistent gaze of a gaudily dressed young woman staring at him from the window of a coffee shop. "I'll be heading back soon to finish disbursing the items. Do you need me for something?"

"No, not really," Kurapika said, voice still thick with the remainder of her resentment.

"Are you sure? I was thinking of making a stop at this great cafe I'm near now, _L'estrelle,_ I hear they're well-known for their pastries."

She went silent for a moment, probably raging a small-scale war within herself. "Buy two of their blueberry muffins, and one of their one of their packaged specialty coffee mixes."

"Anything else, Pika-chan?" he teased.

"Just go buy me some muffins and coffee," she snapped, patience wearing thin.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, cheerfully, walking into the little shop. Sweet smells filled the air, coffee mixed in with freshly baked goods. The cafe itself had a rustic appearance, with wooden walls and counters and floors, colored in warmth.

The woman at the cash register blushed at the sight of him as if on cue. "He-hello, how may I help you?"

"Two blueberry muffins and a bag of one of your specialty coffee mixes, please," he said, politely, and the woman smiled, besotten.

"Right away, sir!" she said, kneeling down and pulling out a paper bag from under the register. She placed two golden brown muffins on a sheet of parchment paper and wrapped both up individually, before placing them in the bag. Then, she grabbed one of the coffee mixes from the back of the shop, returning with a small blue package in her hand. "There you go, sir!"

"Thank you," he replied, pulling out his wallet and handing her a two thousand Jenny bill.

"Come again soon, sir!" she called, as Chrollo turned away. He'd better get back to the Nostrade Mansion soon, he wouldn't want the pastries to get cold.

He was out on the street when the woman approached him. The same one who had been staring at him before. Her cheeks were tinged red, though if it was from her make-up or from embarrassment, he wasn't sure. Clothed in a dark red dress, jacket, and black tights, the woman made sure it was known that she came from a background of wealth. Now, what was she doing out her on her own? Most of the time, people of such status travel with friends or bodyguards, unless . . .

"Sir, please," she spoke, dark eyes frantic, "could you walk me home?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have a phone?"

"Yes, but it died out and I forgot my charger," she said, desperate now. "Please, I just need someone to walk me back."

"Your parents think you're out with a dignified young man of high status who might be a prospective husband, but you've actually been using it to cover up activities they might disapprove of," he deduced. The young woman's mouth fell open, and Chrollo smiled. The motion reminded him a bit of Kurapika. "I'm right, then. Well, come on, let's go trick your parents."

The woman started leading him in the direction of her home, still recovering from his astute observation. "How did you know?'

"I didn't. It was just a guess."

Silence followed them, the woman chewing on her bottom lip, until finally, she said, "I'm Catia D'Amica. First-born daughter of the House of Amica. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Chrollo Lucilfer. The pleasure is all mine," he replied.

"Chrollo Lucilfer," the women repeated, walking beside him now. She was a few inches shorter than him, probably around Kurapika's height, with dark, curly hair and dull green eyes. "That's a strange name."

"My parents were strange people," he replied.

Her eyes widened, and she turned to him with an apologetic look on her face. "I meant no harm by it!"

"It's alright. It's just a name, after all," he said, airily, as he tried to remember what the House of Amica boasted so much about. Perhaps, it was something worth stealing. "So, I hear your family protects the Legendary Scrolls of Juvai?"

"Oh, ye -" she caught herself, eyes glued to the pavement now. Too forward, perhaps? "I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to say."

How bothersome. He smiled despite it. "I understand. If I were you, I probably wouldn't divulge such a large secret either."

At least he knew they were there. Now, all he needed was to get inside the house and keep the girl and her family occupied. This trip was turning out to be far more interesting than he'd expected.

"Are the muffins for you?" Catia asked, conversationally, eyeing the bag of muffins curiously. "You don't seem like a muffin person."

"No, these are for a friend of mine. She has an obsession with blueberry pastries, so she forced me to buy these for her," he said, and Catia frowned.

"You seem fond of her."

"I love her."

Catia's eyes narrowed.

"Something wrong?"

"You just don't seem like the type to have any worldly attachment, much less love for a woman," Catia admitted. "I suppose I'm just surprised is all. You called her a friend, though. I assume you're not on very solid ground with this girl."

"A very astute observation," he complimented. "We have a complicated relationship, to say the least."

"Does she not love you back?"

"That is not what I'd call complicated." It would be simple if she did not love him back.

Catia stopped walking. "We're here," she spoke, gazing up at a large wrought iron gate that guarded a large colonial-style mansion that had been painted all white and gray. She turned to him with a grateful expression on her face. "Thank you for walking me here." Then, she stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. Chrollo did nothing, his actions much aligned with his emotions. Three. Two. One.

"Catia!" another woman screeched, running out of the house. Just as Chrollo had predicted, their observers were the girl's parents, surveying the nature of their daughter's relationship with him. The woman enveloped her daughter in a hug. "Oh, you were telling the truth, sweetie! And he's such a handsome man, too."

"Good evening, Miss D'Amico," he replied, politely.

"So well-mannered, too," the mother whispered in her daughter's ear, before looking back towards him. "Would you like to stay for dinner, sir?"

"Just call me Chrollo, and I'm afraid I can't, I could impose," he said, raising his hands placatingly.

Mrs. D'Amico shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. Come on in! We've been waiting so long to finally meet Catia's future husband."

"Mom," Catia grumbled. "Stop it."

"What? Everyone's thinking it. You make a splendid couple," the woman chirped, undoubtedly forming wedding plans in her head already as they walked up the few steps to the door. "Catia and Chrollo D'Amico, uh, what is your last name, Chrollo?"

"Lucilfer."

"Lucilfer? How mysterious. Catia and Chrollo D'Amico Lucilfer. Ooh, you both have C-names. We'll have to give your children C-names as well," she clasped her hands together, joyfully, and Chrollo inwardly cringed at the thought of having children with anyone other than his Pika-chan. The thought of having to share a bed with someone other than Kurapika was a whole other thought he did not want to dive into. It seemed it was either Kurapika or celibacy for him.

Dinner was said to arrive soon, and Chrollo deduced soon would be at least another half hour or so. Just enough to find their precious treasures and get out. He spotted a young maid by the staircase, who caught his eyes and accidentally dropped her feather duster. He picked it up and handed it back to her. The girl pushed some ash-blonde hair from her eyes and thanked him quietly. He smiled. She would do.

"You seem tired," he said. "Don't they give you breaks in the great D'Amica household?"

She avoided eye contact and carried on with her work, saying, "sometimes. If we behave."

Chrollo feined a look of concern. "How long have you been working here?" At least three years would be optimal, but he could work with one if he had to.

"Five years now." She reached up to dust off one of the lamps, took a misstep, and fell right into Chrollo's arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked, helping her regain her balance. The girl brushed him off, displaying an impressive amount of disinterest in him. "Perhaps, you really should take a break."

She shook her head. "I need the money. My family does, I mean. We're very poor, and the D'Amicos pay well, but only if we work."

"Well?"

"Enough to live off of."

He leans against a nearby wall. "What about your future? Surely, you don't intend to continue working for the D'Amicos until you breathe your last breath."

"Not all of us can afford shiny new suits and fancy coffee," she suddenly snapped, furious, and Chrollo saw a bit of Meteor City in her. People so desperate they're willing to do anything just to survive. Should she be forced to kill for her food, she would surely do it.

"I know. You're not the only one who has lived in poverty." Relatability. Check.

The girl glanced at him, a glimmer of surprise on her face. "You?"

"Ever heard of Meteor City?"

Her eyes widened, and there was something distinctly child-like in her expressions. "Impossible. There's no way someone like you could be from there. You look like you've never had to struggle for even an hour."

"I try," he replied. "I suppose it's fitting that I've become an Artifact Hunter since then."

"Artifact Hunter?" she asked, growing less and less interested in cleaning dust off the staircase. "What would you be doing here? I know you're not attracted to Miss Catia. If you were, you wouldn't be talking to me know."

"Clever," he praised, and the maid tried to keep the small, proud smile from crossing her face. "I'm here under the suspicion that the House of D'Amica is holding some very precious, very important artifacts. Ones they undoubtedly bought on the Black Market."

She pursed her lips in thought. "Well, they are rather guarded about the things in the Sun Office on the East side of the mansion. One of the other maids once accidentally went in there and was fired just a week later."

That's a good place to start. "Sound like a lead. Come on."

"I already told you I have to work."

"After today, you'll be laid off, or worse. You've just aided someone in stealing from a high-class family. You do realize what that means?"

The grip around the duster tightened, the girl's face contorting in indecisiveness. She met his eyes and then ascended the steps. There, that was easy enough.

The girl led him down a small corridor off the regular route. The door to the Sun Office was bland and chipping away at the end. The room itself was nothing extraordinary, just an Office with an empty shelf and an old wooden desk and chair. The maid gestured with her arms wide to show the expanse of the tiny room.

"Well, this is it," she said. "Do you think it's in here?"

"Possibly."

"That's reassuring. I just staked my job on chance. Mother would certainly be proud," she said, flatly.

He analyzed the room for hints of the scroll's whereabouts. "She should be. You're taking charge of your own life. As ill-advised as it may be, it's still admirable." His eyes caught onto the empty shelf again. Surely, it was too easy. But then, if a maid could stumble upon it by accident, perhaps he shouldn't toss the idea out altogether.

As quietly as humanly possible, Chrollo moved the shelf aside. Sure enough, there was a small, well-concealed door behind it. It was locked, but Chrollo was a thief and picking locks was something he learned to do as a child. Roro regularly used to bring him elaborate safes to practice on.

"Can you teach me how to pick locks later?"

"Gladly."

The box that evidently contained the scroll didn't have a lock on it. Chrollo couldn't resist rolling his eyes. What a bother. He hated these sorts of things. He supposed now he had to figure out a way to open the damn thing. Or, maybe, he could just take it all. No one would know. Oh, but what if there was a tracking device on it. That would be even more of a bother.

"That's so weird," the maid said, looking over his shoulder, bemused. "Do you see that?"

"Elaborate?"

"It's like this smoke thingy. It's all around it," she replied. Her face donned an expression of fear. "Do you think it's toxic."

Smoke? Chrollo focused his Nen on his eyes. It was just a thin veil, barely there, but it was strong. A shield.

Chrollo let a bit of Nen flow out of his hands, ignoring the maid's baffled countenance. Sure enough, the box slid open, first the top, then the sides, revealing an aged scroll that was a bit weathered at the edges. He summoned his Fun Fun cloth, and the maid looked ready to pass out at the sight of even more crazy magical powers.

"I'll explain later."

She donned that Kurapika-like expression of "you'd better," but before she could say anything her attention was earned by another. "Look out!"

Cold metal pressed against the side of his throat.

"Took you a while," he murmured, not bothering to turn towards the woman as he tried to telepathically give the maid the instructions to stay calm. She seemed to understand.

"Are you a member of the Phantom Troupe," she asked, casting but one threatening glance at the maid. The maid averted her eyes. Chrollo decided it was about time to face the eldest D'Amico.

Catia stood there with a furious look on her face, and Chrollo almost laughed. Compared to Kurapika's, hell, even Gon's angry faces, this was nothing. This woman had not a drop of a killer's blood running through her veins, even as she clutched the rapier in her unskilled, shaky hands.

"The head, actually," he said, standing now so that Catia's rapier had a clear shot for his heart. "News travels fast, hmm. I see the D'Amico's are less saintly than they appear to be."

"Bastard! You're one to talk! You're the one going around killing people!" she screamed back. So noisy.

"So, the life of a murderer is worth less than that of people like you, who have feasted on the lives of others in all your self-indulgence and scheming?" he asked, curiously. If only this was someone less small-minded, they might actually have a decent conversation. Oh well, when he got back to Kurapika and gave her her muffins, they could have a long discussion about philosophy. Ah, the muffins, they must be completely cold now. He better clear this up quickly.

"How dare you -"

She fell to the ground, unconscious, without another word, and Chrollo debated killing her, but that would entail killing her family as well and possibly others who might've cared for the girl, and he had some muffins to deliver.

"Well, it would've been a shame to kill you, anyway."

He started towards the window, past the shaken maid, but before he could even attempt an escape, the maid grabbed his arm. "I thought you said you'd take me with you."

The man turned and gave her a curious look. "I'm a murderer. You heard her. The Phantom Troupe Head: the master of Evil, or whatever you call me here."

"Yeah, you also buy your girlfriend muffins," she said, pointing at the bag in his hands, "so you can't be that bad."

"How do you know they're for my girlfriend?"

"Ah-ha, so you do have a girlfriend!" the girl cheered victoriously. "Does she know you go around seducing young women to steal from their families?"

He considered her question. "Most likely, I'd say. She knows what kind of business I deal in."

"She must be crazy."

"A little."

"I wanna meet her," she declared, "so take me with you. Getting you to fall in love with her is quite a feat. I want to know how she did it. And I don't care if you're the leader of the Phantom Troupe. I can tell you don't go around killing people without a reason."

"Thank you?"

. . .

Kurapika's relentless red pen scrawled a large, glossy C+ across Rohan's first essay. The girl was bright, it was true, but she still had much to learn in terms of focus and eloquence, both vital aspects of a good public speaker. And if the girl was ever to become Queen, she'd need to be a great public speaker.

She set the paper aside and leaned back in her chair, stretching. The door creaked open, and she felt someone familiar approach her before her vision was blocked by a brown paper bag. She held her hands out and her companion dropped it into her palms. A smirk made its way onto her face as she peered inside.

"Four hours just to get a few muffins across the country?"

Chrollo chuckled, taking a seat beside her, a tender look he reserved just for her overtaking his beautiful face. "I got a bit sidetracked."

"Sidetracked? By what?"

"A girl and a few artifacts she possessed," he spoke, and Kurapika's eyes narrowed suspiciously, as she popped a piece of the muffin in her mouth.

"Artifacts?" she asked, skeptically.

He gave her that teasing look that made her bite her lip and caused her cheeks to heat up a little bit. "M'lady, do I detect some jealousy in that melodious tone of yours?"

"What? No! I would never sink so low!" she said, pride flaring. Never in a million years. A Kurta was never jealous. They were a dignified people that would never . . . "Maybe a little bit."

"I also have someone I'd like you to meet later on. She helped me out during the heist. I think you'll get along," the man said. "You're both exceedingly stubborn and treat me horribly."

"HEY!" she protested, kicking him under the table.

He just grinned, and Kurapika felt her heart pick up the pace a bit. She was distracted easily enough when the man materialized his book. Kurapika moved back out of suspicion. Who knew what he had up his sleeve? What if he spirited her off to some exotic location? Certainly, it wouldn't be so bad, and she could use a vacation, but being there with only him would make it far too intimate to just be an outing between friends. Besides, with nothing to ground her, she wouldn't be able to hold herself back. No, it was better that she stay here.

There were no kidnapping attempts that day. Chrollo simply conjured up a cloth of some sort and pulled a scroll out of it. Kurapika gave him a confused look. She liked ancient scrolls as much as anybody, but this certainly wasn't anything phenomenal.

Her body froze as the scroll unraveled into the beautiful, elegant script of the Kurta Clan. At the top, it read _"Legendary Scroll of Juvai,"_ on the bottom it was signed.

 _Lovingly translated like a thousand times by Yuka Hokulani Kurta._

"Mom."

 **End of Chapter 18**

 **Next on Locking:**

 **It only takes a dream.**

 **(A/N: I'm sorry I didn't manage to give the maid a name. She's gonna be a major character now, so I hope you don't hate her too much. Also, she will not fall in love with Chrollo, and Chrollo will obviously not fall in love with her. They're gonna have more of a father/daughter relationship. She'll kind of be to Chrollo what Saffy was for Kurapika. Except this time, Kurapika will also be there to be her mom. It's gonna be cute. Like a crash course in parenthood, except the child is already in her late teens.)**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **BloodyRose03: Right you are. Thnx so much for reviewing. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.**

 **sarahmchugs: I'm glad you caught that. I like using little canon moments like that. Thnx for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**

 **Sweets Dreamer: I think I'm gonna speed things up for them just a little bit to make things even more interesting in the third book. Soon, Chrollo and Kurapika. Patience is a virtue. Soon, you'll be able to love each other as much as you'd like. I hope you regained that sleep eventually! Sleep deprivation is a horrible thing that unfortunately thinks we college students are great victims. Bahari wasn't in the airport, or at least he wasn't supposed to be. Freakin Bahari keeps showing up on transportation vessels. Thank you for your help with this chapter. The Maid wouldn't be a character if not for you. And thank you for reviewing and always supporting this little series.**

 **~ End of Reviews ~**


	19. Of Dreams and Of Links

**A/N: Man, this got sad in the middle there. I'm sorry. Some heavy topics shall be discussed. You've been warned. Also, sorry I haven't updated in two months, but I'd say the important part is that I beat Togashi in returning. But honestly, most people can win against Togashi in that department.**

 **Warnings: Sorta rated M?**

 **Locking of the Heart**

 **Chapter 19: Of Dreams and Of Links**

Kurapika heaved a breath of relief as she collapsed on her bed. A month had passed since she'd started training Rohan, and it's about as exhausting as you'd imagine. It could be that Kurapika just wasn't teacher material, but she didn't recall it being this difficult when she was tutoring her friends.

"Miss Kurapika!" The door slammed open. Rohan walked through with the determination of a Gon all over her face and a textbook in her hands. "I have a question."

She always did. Kurapika stifled a groan and sat up in bed.

"Rohan," another voice interrupted. Nico appeared behind the girl, a hand on her shoulder. "You have two teachers, remember? Kurapika's worn out for today, so let her sleep."

Rohan did so, and Nico gave Kurapika a thumbs up before letting the door shut behind him. Kurapika fell back on the bed, breathing a sigh of relief. She let herself sink into the soft mattress and relish in the sensation of her muscles relaxing bit by bit.

 _Finally,_ she thought, taking in the scent of fresh linen.

"Kurapika!" Basho suddenly rushed in. "We spotted a few spies on the edges of the estate grounds. They might be here to kidnap Rohan."

The woman pursed her lips. Of course, it wouldn't last. Her naps never did. "Get rid of them, then."

"Like, get rid get rid? Or, just get rid?" he asked, with uncertainty lacing his voice.

"We're a part of the mafia, aren't we?" the Kurta replied, coolly, her back still turned away. Perhaps, if she faced the other way long enough he'd take a hint and let her sleep.

"Well, yeah, but you always seemed like, I dunno, nobler?"

Not when she hadn't slept properly in two weeks. She wasn't Gon, she didn't have an unlimited supply of energy at her disposal.

For a second more, Kurapika entertained the thought of leaving this to her fellow co-workers. A mixture of anxiety and resignation later, and Kurapika was back up on her feet. She'd been a fool to think sleeping through the night for once was a possibility.

. . .

The spies were hiding in the bushes like a bunch of amateurs. Either that or they wanted to be found. As they approached the intruders, Kurapika focused her Nen around her eyes, certain that no one could be this foolish, but it was already too late.

"Basho, behind you!" she called, ducking just in time to avoid a punch in her direction. It was like they had cloaked themselves in En. They were completely invisible without Gyo. What a bother. She had hoped they weren't Nen users.

The two of them evaded attacks left and right, finding barely enough time to take control of the offense. Kurapika pursed her lips. If she let the one about to punch her on the right succeed, she could use that moment to get closer to him.

"Guess we should've brought more people," Basho commented, sounding rather impressed. Kurapika suppressed the urge to chide him for his admiration of the enemy. She didn't want to waste her breath.

She grabbed the one who had punched her, flipping him over with enough impact to knock him out. The En wore off, and he was left lying there with his face in the dirt. Basho whistled.

"Knocked him out good, huh?"

There was still at least a dozen more attacking her alone. Basho had about half of that. It appeared that they were targeting her in particular. Goodness, she could use Chrollo's help right now. He probably had an ability in his book that would be useful right about now. She just wanted to sleep, goddammit. It took half of her energy supply – which wasn't that large to begin with – just to stay on her feet.

Another punch right to her spine almost sent her crumbling, but she managed to use the momentum to switch places with her attacker. Oh, but her spine was definitely bruised now. She hoped she hadn't dislocated anything. It was hard to tell with all the adrenaline rushing through her, numbing the pain.

"I think that's the last of them," she sighed, toppling over the twelfth intruder. "Though, I doubt any of these guys are the ones with that Hatsu technique. We need to find him as soon as possible, otherwise, he'll cause trouble."

"That's unlike you," Basho commented, as the woman struggled to keep her eyes open. She was dozing off in the middle of the forest.

"What?" she managed, putting a hand to her forehead.

"You just assumed the Hatsu owner's gender. You never do that. It's always 'oh, you should never profile the suspect as any category in particular because you might form an unconscious bias towards people who fit your ideal' and stuff."

She supposed that was true, but her head didn't quite process his words enough for a sturdy, Kurapika-like reply, so she just gave him a sleepy, blank stare.

"Maybe we should get you to bed," Basho suggested, eyeing her warily.

Right, bed. Kurapika moved to turn in the direction of the mansion, and it was then that her body finally put its foot down and the world went dark.

. . .

"Kurapika." She felt a hand on her cheek, a thumb stroking the spot right under her eye. "Love, wake up."

"Mum?" she asked, reaching up to take the other woman's hand. "How are you . . ." Ah, this was a dream. Yuka wasn't really there.

"Bit off a little more than you could chew again, huh, little Miss Kurapika?" her mother chided, poking her forehead. She sat at her bedside, dressed in her red and gold tribal clothing, and smiling like she wasn't really dead. Kurapika's eyes scanned the compartment she was lying in. This was . . . her old house. Her childhood bedroom, the one that had been burned down when the Phantom Troupe massacred them. The walls were maple wood painted over in that horrible shade of red she had chosen as a child. A meticulously crafted desk stood by the window, covered in oodles of books, ranging from fairy tales to astrophysics. Near her bed was a nightstand, with a handful of picture frames. Most of them with her parents and Pairo. There was one that struck her as quite odd, however, and upon further inspection, she realized it was an engagement photograph. And not just any engagement photograph, it was hers.

She stood there, next to a young man with dark hair the color of roasted chestnuts. They were both smiling, though his grin was far wider than her own. He was handsome, tall and slim with a pretty face and tanned skin, though clearly no match for someone like, say, Chrollo, for example.

It took her awhile, but she eventually placed his face with a name and a title. He was the son of an Elder that ruled over another clan a few miles away from the Kurtas. They were the only normal humans they ever bothered dealing with on a larger scale. Kurapika remembered meeting the boy once and thinking he was quite the arrogant sod. She'd been around eleven back then, two years before the massacre and she had no idea how violently her world would be shaken.

Now, why the hell was she marrying an arrogant sod? For goodness' sake, she'd take Pairo over this shit.

"Your betrothed is waiting for you in the garden," her mother chirped, a mischievous smirk growing on her lips. "I think there's something he wants to give you."

Kurapika lifted herself off of the bed, navigated her way through the rest of the familiar house, and found her 'betrothed' standing in the garden. The flower and vegetable beds looked as well maintained as ever, the result of many hours of fussing from her mother and father. The man she was to marry stood near the rose bushes, and he'd noticed her. A smile made its way to his face, growing wider as she approached, but all she felt was unease. He wasn't Chrollo. That was enough to make he want to punch him for believing he could ever take his place. What was she saying? Chrollo wasn't her husband. He wasn't even her boyfriend. He was just . . . something meandering in the middle. A friend that wanted intimacy. Dear God, had she put Chrollo in the friend zone?

"You look beautiful," he complimented, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "My love. Are you alright? You seem tired."

"I'm fine," she replied, flatly. The man said nothing of her stoic nature.

"Kurapika," he whispered, coming closer to her and cupping her face. Kurapika off-handedly wondered why her dream was making her be all warm and cuddly with this fellow when she had a perfectly good Chrollo to dream about. Sure, in real life, she'd feel guilty if this was Chrollo, and for a variety of reasons. For one thing, he might've been manipulated but he still massacred her family, and their blood was still on his hands. For another, she still really cared for the man, and taking on an on-off relationship with him all of a sudden would be cruel. She couldn't just go to him whenever she was feeling lonely.

But this was a dream and it didn't count.

"I know that I'm not who you imagined when your parents told you they had found someone for you to marry. But, I also think I'm better than a man that's never coming back," he said.

Kurapika froze. Right, if there hadn't been a massacre, they probably never would've reunited. Chrollo wouldn't care to find her again. She would give up on searching for him. And she'd come back to live her ordinary life in the Village. Because really, where else would a Scarlet-eyed demon be welcome?

No. She couldn't think like that. She couldn't think of the massacre as anything other than pure evil. Nothing good came of it.

"I do love you," he whispered, kissing her forehead. She was still frozen. "And I think you will, too. In time."

Kurapika felt her heart fall, her stomach churning. She worried she might wake up and vomit. The thought of a life like this, as peaceful as it might've been, made her feel so confined. Once, it might've suited her. Once, after she'd seen her fill of the world, and turned away at the thought of all the evil in it, thinking she'd prefer her quiet little Village. But now, she couldn't even imagine it without having a slight panic overtake her.

"Darling," he said, plucking one of the roses from the bush. One hand took hold of her wrist, and he placed the rose between the fingers, careful not to let them brush against the thorns.

She looked down at the vibrant red of the petals, a color that reminded her of her own Scarlet Eyes. Of her family's Scarlet Eyes. A droplet of water landed on the flower, but there was no rain.

Tears had begun to flow down her cheeks, guilt and sorrow mixed in with some of the anger she used to have so much of. She gripped the stem with both hands, and this time the barbs sunk in. There was blood trailing down her fingers now, but she didn't want to let go. She didn't want to lose anything else. If she held on, she wouldn't lose anything else.

. . .

She roused with a shaky breath. Her vision was blurry, though if it was from waking up or from the dream, she wasn't sure. She sat up in her bed. There were several other people there, crowding around the bed. Nico paced around the room, though he seemed to do it out of boredom rather than stress. Neon and Rohan were the closest to her bedside, and so noticed her state of consciousness first. Their hands were intertwined, and their shoulders side-to-side. All-in-all, far too close to be appropriate in Kurapika's eyes. Basho sat on the floor, grimly, flipping through his phone. And Chrollo, who was sitting in one of the chairs without a care in the world. The moonlight caught in his hair, illuminated his pale face, and made him look equally sinister and beautiful in the expensive suit he was clothed in.

"Kurapika!" Neon said, taking her hand. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

Nico pushed Neon aside, and got in Kurapika's face. He took her shoulders and shook. "Kurapika, I am your interim boss. When I tell you to go the hell to sleep, you go to sleep, not run off to take down two dozen spies."

"Sorry," Kurapika replied, her voice hoarse and thick with the tears she shed during her dream.

"Are you alright?" Nico asked, eyebrows strewn together in concern.

"Yeah." She put a hand to her forehead. "Had a dream. Thorns. I'd rather not say."

"Thorns?" Nico repeated, and the grip on her shoulders tightened. "Did you prick yourself on any of them."

Kurapika pushed him away. "Yeah, what of it?"

Nico shook his head, disappointed. "Am I the only one who has any knowledge of dream interpretations?" He pointed at her, his face more serious than ever before, with no trace of that characteristic smirk of his. "You, my dear, are going to get laid."

She pulled the comforter out from underneath him, and the man elegantly rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

"Ow," he complained, massaging the back of his head. "I'm just being honest. That's what thorns mean. Your sexual desires are about to come to fruition." He glanced at Chrollo with mischief in his eyes. "And I think we all know what that entails."

Chrollo didn't respond, but Neon threw her slipper at him. "Nico, stop being so uncouth! Honestly, how can you even say something like that! You're so gross!"

"But, Neon!" he whined. "They need this. It'll do them good."

The book in Chrollo's hand snapped close, and everyone turned to him as if waiting to receive orders from their dearly beloved monarch. He stood up, looming over them all.

"I suggest you leave now," Chrollo said, sitting down next to her. She blanched. Didn't he know this would only deepen Nico's suspicions? "Kurapika needs some time to herself."

"See, told you," Nico whispered, as Basho took the initiative and led them away. "They need this."

"I think what Kurapika needs right now is some rest," Basho rebuked, acting rather unlike himself. Perhaps, he felt guilty for dragging her out of bed in the middle of the night. As he should.

The door closed behind them, and Kurapika was left in Chrollo's hands again.

"What did you dream about?" Chrollo asked, softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Chrollo," she started, unsure of how to continue. "I . . . did my parents ever tell you something about an arranged marriage?"

"Arranged marriage?" he repeated, eyes narrowing. He pursed his lips as he tried to remember. And yes, it was cute. Kurapika could still silently admire these moments, alright? "Ah, once, perhaps. On the night before I left."

"Really?" she asked, sitting up straighter and turning to face him fully.

"I might've gotten a little bit angry when they told me," Chrollo continued, a fond smile playing on his face. Chrollo had been close with her parents during his stay in the Kurta Clan. They were like another set of parents to him, ones that wouldn't abandon him. "It was like they were asking if they could sell my little sister to some guy, not even knowing how he'll treat you. I couldn't stand the thought. Stuff like that happened all the time back home, and the results were hardly ever healthy. You were still so young, too. I might've been okay with it if they decided to wait until you were older and had enough sense to understand what was happening."

Her heart raced and she wasn't sure why. "What do you mean?" Surely, they weren't planning on giving her up so soon.

"They were planning on marrying off by the time you were twelve," he explained. "Your mother didn't seem too thrilled at the idea, but the Elder insisted. Don't worry, though. I convinced them to reconsider."

"How?" The Elder was nearly as stubborn as Kurapika herself. It was hard to move him as a member of the Kurta Clan, nevermind as an outsider from Meteor City of all places.

Chrollo laughed a bit, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. "I might have told them I'd take you with me if they didn't agree to wait until you were at least sixteen. I wanted to go for eighteen, but they wouldn't budge. We signed a contract and it was set in stone. No marriage until you were sixteen."

Her fingers clawed her hair back. Twelve. They wanted to marry her off at twelve. Not only was that illegal, but that was basically a death sentence for her as a child. Getting married would have saddled her down for life in that Village. Were they trying to ruin her life? Kurapika's heart sank with dread. Were there other girls who weren't lucky enough to have a Chrollo there. Did the Kurta Clan marry children off like that often?

"Kurapika," Chrollo said, taking her hands in his. "Hey, look at me. Pika-chan. There we go. I would never let anything happen to you –"

"Were there more?" Kurapika blurted, grabbing onto his suit. "Do you think they married off more people like that?"

Chrollo shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's possible."

Kurapika deflated, placing her head on Chrollo's chest. What else was her Clan hiding? Child marriages, a bloody past, what next?

"Pika-chan, it'll be alright. We don't know what really happened. Besides, this doesn't erase all the good the Clan represented," Chrollo comforted, running his fingers through her hair. "Kurapika?"

"What?"

"In a minute, I'm going to teleport us outside. Is that okay?" Chrollo asked. Kurapika nodded, and Chrollo gathered her up in his arms. A second later, they were in the garden, and Kurapika was still in his arms. He set her down, took her hand, and guided her away.

"Where are we going?"

" _You_ are taking a vacation. Nico's orders," Chrollo replied. "We're going to Port Angelo. We're going to stay at a beach house, and you are going to relax."

Kurapika dug her heels into the ground. "But what about the mission?"

"They can deal without you for a couple weeks," Chrollo assured, staring her down. "What they clearly cannot deal with is making sure you take care of yourself. You won't be much help if you're sleep-deprived half the time and collapsing from exhaustion the rest."

That was a good point.

Kurapika let herself be pulled along again. "The airship is just a few blocks away."

. . .

Kurapika fell asleep for the entirety of the airship ride, waking up only a few times when Chrollo asked if she wanted anything to eat or drink. She didn't. She just wanted to sleep and forget all this commotion regarding her marriage. For the most part, it worked. In the end, she settled on the idea that perhaps it didn't matter anymore. She might've loved her Clan, but there were certain things she would never forgive them for, and that was alright. She'd rather love something and be aware of its flaws and crimes instead of being blinded by admiration for it.

"Kurapika." Chrollo shook her awake hours later. "We're here. Do you want me to carry you?"

She shook her head and stood up. The two of them walked out of the metal airship, and Kurapika was greeted by several familiar faces.

"Hiya, Miss Kurapika!" Shalnark chirped, patting her on the back a bit too forcefully. "You look tired! C'mon, we'll take you to your room!"

Machi and Pakunoda pulled him away, clearly deeming that he was overstepping his boundaries. Machi glanced at Chrollo. "Danchou can take her to her room."

Chrollo glared at them, knowing what they were scheming, but said nothing. He led her to the house behind them. It was a medium-sized, wooden house. The only word that came to mind at the sight of it was cozy. It had a low, flat roof, and there looked to be two stories. The rooms were illuminated by lanterns, which emitted a soft, almost romantic orange glow. Inside, the coziness persisted. The furniture was all warm colors and simple patterns. The door opened directly into the living room, where a square table was surrounded by a bright red couch that wrapped around it halfway.

The man led her up the polished staircase, into a corridor, and to her temporary bedroom. There were so many words hanging in the air between them, but Chrollo only said, "bathroom's the third door on your right," and left. And she wished she'd been thoughtless enough to tug him back inside and ask him to spend the night because she really didn't want to sleep alone after all this.

Kurapika sighed. There was nothing she could do about that. She collapsed on the bed, a sea of blue sheets and pillows. It was wondrously soft, and combined with the summer wind and the ocean waves, Kurapika found it wasn't so hard to fall asleep after all.

. . .

She was dressed in white this time. It was clearly a wedding dress. She remembered it from Neon's magazines. What was it called? The Compassion one. An empire silhouette with a sweetheart neckline, layers of silk and chiffon loosely covering her up to her feet, a beaded bodice that ended just below the bust. Her shoulders and neck exposed. She wasn't sure what to think. Kurapika had never been a fan of strapless outfits, but at least the skirt went to the floor.

The Kurta heard the door open and close behind her, but she didn't turn away from the mirror. She didn't have to.

The man wrapped his arms around her, and Kurapika instinctively sunk into his touch.

"Chrollo," she whispered, contently, as he nuzzled her neck.

"Couldn't help myself," he murmured against her skin.

Kurapika smiled, closing her eyes and rubbing circles into Chrollo's hands. "I'll yell at you later."

He chuckled a deep, silky laugh that she felt reverberate against his chest. He kissed the skin near her jaw, making her tilt her head away, exposing the new hickey.

"You realize we're getting married soon," Kurapika chided. "I can't go with my neck marked up."

The man hummed, balancing his chin on her shoulder. His face remained purely thoughtful, but his eyes glinted mischievously. "I think it's rather fitting. A harbinger of what's to come."

"My dear fiance, are you telling me that I'm to marry a pervert?" Kurapika teased, standing on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. He enveloped her in his arms again, and she responded by laying her head on his chest.

"I am but a man in love," he sighed, "forever succumbing to your charms."

She giggled, that distinct feeling of euphoria seeping into her. Nevermind that he was spewing cheesy nonsense. "Just as planned."

"Forever yours," Chrollo agreed, now effectively trailing kisses down the length of her neck. Kurapika didn't try to stop him. Hell, she didn't want to stop him. It was a dream, her guilty conscience couldn't follow her out of this realm.

He looped his arms around her knees, and she was suddenly looking down at him, her feet suddenly several inches off the ground. Her hands cupped his face, and she kissed him without another thought. It was blistering, searing, she almost wished she wasn't wearing so many layers.

Wait, where'd the bed come from?

Kurapika's eyes shot open. They were no longer in the dressing room. This . . . this was her bedroom back in the beach house. But, she still wasn't awake. She didn't think so anyway. Chrollo was still on top of her, sprinkling a few kisses on her collarbone. Gazing down subtly, she noted with great relief that she was indeed in a dream. No way in hell did she own this sort of top. It was probably another piece of clothing from the wedding catalog. A gossamer, white camisole that hung loosely around her.

"You're so beautiful," Chrollo whispered in her ear. It was still Chrollo, thank goodness. If she was going to have a dream like this with anyone, she'd rather it be someone she still entertained having a possible relationship with.

"I get that a lot," she breathed. Chrollo chuckled in response, pressing his lips to hers. Then he leaned away a bit, a tender, affectionate smile on his face that made her heart skip a beat. Averting her eyes, she noted the hickeys scattered over his neck and shoulders and chest. How come her dream cut out the part where she gave him those? She felt it was a bit unfair.

Chrollo reached under the sheets and intertwined their hands. His lips touched her forehead, and she felt the need to repay him, so she did, her lips brushing the cross on his brow.

"I love you, Kurapika Lucilfer," he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow at the name, but didn't reply, her arms circling around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. His hand slipped under her camisole, and she let out a gasp.

. . .

Kurapika bolted upwards, her breathing coming out in shallow pants. What the hell was that? Nevermind, she knew what that was. A damn erotic dream. She didn't _get_ those sorts of dreams. She got blood and distant memories and massacres, not highly detailed make out sessions.

But that wasn't the worst part, no, the worst part was that she was completely lucid the entire time. She had complete control of that dream – more control than most other dreams, anyway. For one thing, she knew it was a dream from the start. Just like with the nightmare with the rose.

Damn, she needed some cold water. A shower. Anything. She felt clammy and hot and slightly frightened. She sighed, made sure she really wasn't wearing that silken camisole, and walked out of her bedroom. At about the halfway point between her sleeping quarters and the bathing area, Chrollo appeared on the staircase.

"You're up," he said, advancing toward her as if he hadn't noticed how tense her whole body was. "Good. The other members and I have come to the dec . . . are you alright, Kurapika?"

She felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Huh? Fine. Why?"

His head tilted to the side, forehead contorting in confusion. "Are you blushing?"

Her hand shot up to touch her cheeks, which were scorching at this point. She might as well be running a fever. "No! I'm just . . . it's hot in that room."

"Really?" he asked, curiously eyeing her bedroom door. "You should've said something. We could've turned on the A/C."

"Ah, well, I was tired. Didn't notice until I woke up. Uh, what did you want to tell me?" she asked, acutely aware of how easy it would be to close the distance between them and kiss him senseless. Why was she thinking like a pervert? Goddammit, reproductive instincts, leave her alone for a second!

Chrollo climbed the last few steps and shifted his weight to one leg, a pen spinning in his hand. "Well, we were thinking these two weeks would be a good time to train with you."

"Train?" she repeated, still desperately trying to clear her brain of all unwarranted thoughts.

"Your Hatsu has a lot of conditions, doesn't it?" he said, moving closer to take the hand where her chains usually were. Her blush returned tenfold. "We can try to lessen their severity by training you and enhancing your Nen to its full potential. You might even be able to keep your chains as they are and get rid of a few restrictions. Like the blade in your heart."

Her eyes widened, and he smirked, devilishly.

"Thought you could keep that part a secret? You're not the only one who can use Gyo, Pika-chan."

She put a clasped hand to her chest. At least, he didn't know the worst of her restrictions.

"Well," he started again, moving back to the stairs, "breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Make sure you get down to the kitchen before it gets cold because I will not be reheating it, you hear me?"

Kurapika grinned, shakily, watching him go. Then, she sprinted to the bathroom, turned on the water faucet, and splashed some frigid water on her face. Great, now she was going to be blushing and stuttering around him like some lovestruck school girl. She preferred hating his guts, to be honest.

Wait a minute.

Training?

How the hell was she supposed to keep her Emperor Time condition a secret if he was going to be constantly assessing her abilities?

 **. End of Chapter .**

 **Next on Locking:**

 **Kurapika struggles with feels and secrets**

 **A/N: What the hell even was this chapter? It kept jumping around. I was supposed to make Kurapika super sad about the new secrets about the Kurta Clan, but then the idea of her having a less-than-innocent dream of Chrollo popped up and I was like "this is too good to pass up". Because we always see Chrollo having dirty thoughts, but Kurapika is mostly free of them. Well, not anymore! Chrollo is in for a hormonal Kurapika these coming chapters. Also, these contrasts her two different possible futures. The one she might've had with her Clan, and the one she might still have with Chrollo. Also, I will definitely bring up the Clan's shadiness in future chapters, so it's not going away. It just took an unexpected backseat to the fact that Kurapika is trying not to drool over the thought of Chrollo.**

 **~ Replies to Reviewers ~**

 **Piyo-nii: Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you stick around! Things are just starting to heat up :)**

 **Pandalion143: I'm so happy to hear that! I enjoyed writing it, too. You know, after the initial writer's block stage, haha. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Sweets Dreamer: What has Kurapika done to Chrollo? What has Chrollo done to Kurapika? They're slowly corrupting each other, but in a good way :) Neither Kurapika nor Chrollo are innocents anymore. Both their imaginations are going down the gutter. Oh man, I forget about the maid this chapter. It's been a month so they already met and this storyline didn't really need her to be in it, but I'll put her in later on. Also, Nico is forever trying to help these two get back together.**

 **rentamiya: Yup, badass as a male, badass as a female, Kurapika will always be a badass. Thank you for reading and reviewing! It means a lot!**

 **~ End of Replies ~**

 **To Everyone: As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and I hope you all review and favorite and follow! Bye :)**


	20. Chapter Twenty

**(A/N: First of all, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Don't worry, Kurapika's giving me whiplash with all her conflicting feelings as well. Let's just say that for the moment she is mildly uncomfortable around the Spiders and hates the fact that she's in love with Chrollo. I need to rewrite this stuff. Anyway, I thought it was kind of unfair to go on an editing spree and never update this again so I'm just gonna try to form a cohesive updating schedule and see where that goes).**

 **Locking of the Heart:**

 **Chapter Twenty**

Breakfast consisted of oatmeal, flavored with honey, enhanced with fresh blueberries. Kurapika ate slowly, and Chrollo gazed at her curiously from the other side of the kitchen, already looking up recipes for dinner.

"What?" Kurapika snapped, finally.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Kurapika?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

Chrollo raised a dubious eyebrow, and Kurapika felt her cheeks heat up. She averted her eyes, taking a spoonful of oatmeal and shoving it in her mouth. Did he notice? She was certain he did. It was rare for something like this to slip under his radar. Kurapika could only hope he didn't bring it up.

The door to the living room slammed open, and three spiders filtered in, two of them arguing still, and Shalnark trying to calm them down in vain. "Good morning, Miss Kurapika!"

"Hey," Kurapika replied, feeling strangely awkward as the man sat down beside her. It was a mixture of reasons really: He massacred her clan (and the details for that were blurry), she nearly got his boss killed several times, and was currently lusting after said boss as well. No, not lusting, eh, entertaining impure thoughts. She certainly wasn't _lusting_ after him. She would never objectify another human being in such a way.

"Danchou!" Nobunaga finally cried, pointing at Phinks. "Is it or is it not true that Hisoka has been deemed a traitor."

Chrollo leaned against the counter, his arms crossed. "Are you two fighting again?"

"Has he been?" Nobunaga repeated, looking much like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Yes," Chrollo replied. "On charges of conspiring against the Troupe with Kurapika. Didn't I explain this last meeting?"

"Tch," Feitan said, appearing behind them, "he was never true Spider anyway. Lucky we let him go."

Shalnark chuckled. "That's pretty harsh." The other Spiders turned to him with clear disagreement written on their faces and Shalnark raced to correct himself. "Don't get me wrong! I'm glad he's gone! It's just . . . he was one of us once."

A foreign, familiar aura mingled with their own, and they all stiffened and turned to the source. Hisoka stood behind them with a large grin on his face, leaning against the doorway.

"How sweet of you, Shal~" he purred. Nobunaga reached for his katana, bristling with anger and bloodlust.

"What are you doing here, Hisoka?" Chrollo asked, calmly. It seemed to work well on Nobunaga, who retreated back from his fighting stance.

Hisoka was beside her in seconds, and she nearly jumped back at the sudden movement. Behind her, Shalnark had taken hold of her shoulders to keep her from falling. The magician leaned in close, a smile on his face as he analyzed hers.

"Tsk, tsk, you've lost it, Pika," he chided, playfully, tapping her cheek. Not quite liking the fact that she was being assaulted by a homicidal clown, she reached for the closest weapon around. A nearby kitchen knife was put to his throat and he laughed, bowing his head. "Well, perhaps not completely."

He met Chrollo's eyes, and an understanding seemed to pass between them. Hisoka shrugged.

"I am known to be a patient man," Hisoka started, pleasantly. "I'll let you all finish your little side quests." He cast a coy glance over at Kurapika. "And if you ever need me, you have me on speed dial."

He disappeared, and Kurapika breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn bastard," Nobunaga muttered, sheathing his sword. "I should've cut him in two. Who does he think he is, barging in here?"

"A worthy opponent," Chrollo said, drying a glass with a dish towel and placing it back into one of the cabinets. "It was a show of his network. He's getting better at finding me."

"Ah, it's probably because we're with you," Shalnark theorized, leaning his elbow on the marble countertop. "We're easier to spot that way. Especially since Kurapika is here . . ." He trailed off toward the end, giving Kurapika a weary glance. "Not that you're a problem or anything. It's just that you're probably the least experienced of us, and, well, Hisoka probably can keep tabs on you pretty easily, with the mafia connections and all –"

"I know," Kurapika cut him off. "It's fine. I'm not one to take offense to such trivial matters."

The room fell silent

"I'm not that bad!" Kurapika insisted. Chrollo pursed his lips, and her jaw nearly dropped. Honestly! The nerve of these people!

"So, when's the training start, Danchou?" Shalnark asked.

Chrollo glanced down at her, a smirk spreading across his lips. "Immediately."

If she was of lesser spirit, she would've shrunk back, but she just held his gaze with a glare. Uvogin whooped behind her.

"Finally! It's been forever since I got to fight someone interesting!"

Kurapika glanced at the monster of a man. He was twice as tall as her, and often said to be the strongest of the entire Phantom Troupe. That meant his main strategy would be built upon the foundation of his strength.

"Let's head out to the forest," Chrollo said, taking her empty bowl and rinsing it off. He looked so accustomed to playing the role of a caretaker. It was most endearing, and strange. The other members followed his orders like school children. Paku gave her a reassuring smile as they walked out.

"Don't worry. None of us are out to hurt you. We just want to polish up your skills a bit so Danchou can stop worrying so much," Paku said, linking their arms. Kurapika wasn't sure how she felt about that. Again, there was that gnawing guilt eating at her. Chrollo had been manipulated into committing the massacre and for that reason, she was able to forgive him. But the rest of the Spiders were a different story. They were merely following his orders, but they were conscious of his actions and quite obviously showed no signs of real remorse. And why would she expect anything different? They were murderers and thieves. They had lost count of how many they had killed long ago.

And yet, she was in love with one of them. It sickened her, but it was a consequence of loving him before knowing of his career choice. Love one held for another was so difficult to throw away, even when it turned out that the part loved was only a small fraction of them.

"That's a lot of memories going through your head right now," Paku said. Kurapika glanced at her, and the woman added, "I can see other people's memories when I touch them."

Kurapika withdrew her arm automatically. Most of her memories were probably nothing special. Blood, gore, among other, happier memories of her family and friends. But there were also things she was less inclined to share, particularly regarding Chrollo.

"To be honest," Pakunoda said. They'd broken away from the rest of the group, and Kurapika guessed it was for privacy's sake. "I'm glad you and Danchou have broken up."

Kurapika glanced at her. Most of the Spiders had been nothing less than friendly to her, which was surprising, considering the impact she had on Chrollo. This was more of what she expected.

"I don't care what he does when he's not with us." They entered the shade of the forest, but Kurapika hardly noticed. "You're the one who I'm worried about, strangely."

"Pardon?" They were heading back into the strange territory of the Spiders caring about her outside of Chrollo's influence.

"What was he thinking, anyway? Seducing a woman who wanted to kill him." She was ranting. The Spider was ranting. "The emotional baggage would be bad enough with just an old friendship in the mix. Now he's added romance in the picture. I swear, he always makes things more complicated on purpose."

Kurapika felt a bit slighted. After all, she had pursued a relationship as well, and she would not be written of as a simple victim. "It's not all his fault. I was careless."

"Well, I suppose it's not worth worrying about now that everything is sorted out," Paku sighed.

There was quiet for a few minutes, as Paku massaged the bridge of her nose, her face appearing agitated.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurapika asked, the anxiety of the upcoming training getting to her again.

"Ask away."

"Regarding restrictions, how does one learn about another person's nen conditions, barring the other person telling them?" Kurapika asked, her blond hair shielding her eyes from any unnecessary scrutinization.

Paku didn't answer, gathering her words. This probably deepened their suspicions, but Kurapika had to know.

"There's no way of knowing for sure, unless you have a nen ability that explains the ins and outs of another nen user's power. Those are rare, though. Most of us are just left with guesswork," Paku explained. "By comparing the nen user's aura from when they were just starting out to now, we can guess how severe their restrictions might've been. For example, with you, Danchou noticed an instant spike in your aura depending on the nen ability you use. That, coupled with the fact that you've placed a judgment chain on your own heart, tells us you must've set up conditions for yourself. And if you break them, you die."

On point. It was incredible, and frightening, but Kurapika wouldn't cave. There was no way they could find out about her eyes. "You're certainly being generous with your information."

"Danchou's good at figuring this sort of thing out," Paku replied. "Even if you try to alter your nen behavior based on this information, I doubt it'll make much of a difference."

They were right. Even if Chrollo didn't find out the exact details of her draining ability, he would still figure out life was being used as bargaining chips. After that, he'd slowly pry the rest of the rules from her lips. And then . . .

Perhaps he already knew. Perhaps this was the prying.

Kurapika bit her lip. If she could distract him somehow. Derail his attention from her nen abilities. And then get back to Neon and the others. But how?

They'd come to a stop in a clearing. Chrollo stood in the center, surveying the area. Kurapika followed suit, and a twinge of guilt struck her at the thought of destroying such a beautiful forest. It reminded her of Lukso a bit, down to the circular patterns on the trees. Quite odd, considering they weren't able to grow anywhere other than the surrounding mountains in her village.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

One-on-one fights? That wasn't so bad. Kurapika was at her best in one-on-one confrontations, after all.

"I'll go," Uvogin said. Kurapika grimaced. The rest of the Spiders got out of their general vicinity. Kurapika felt the summer wind nuzzle her ankles, the rustle of leaves singing in the late morning, her heart beating in the steady motion of her careful mind. And then, Uvogin charged for a punch. So quickly that she hardly noticed. She covered her face as she jumped away. Grass and dirt tangled in her hair and clothes. Even so, she was unscathed, save for the bruise from a loose pebble, but that hardly mattered in a fight.

Kurapika balanced on the branch of the nearest tree, flicking off a piece of mud on her cheek. She didn't last long on the branch however, as the man only hurled forward with another punch. The tree splintered, and the pieces scattered through the air, towards anything they might catch onto. He might be a one-trick pony, but he knew how to use that one trick in different ways.

She jumped behind him, a good few meters away. Uvogin grinned.

"Heh, you're not half bad!"

Well, she _had_ been training to kill all of them for the last six years.

"Guess I can go to 30% then!"

Lovely. She moved to put even more distance between them, determined not to use her chains if she could help it. A moment later she vanished back into the trees. Fingers wrapped around her wrist.

"You're not fighting back at all?" Chrollo asked, his lips too close to her ear. "Are you so worried about how I might react that you'd rather lose a limb than have me find out about your hatsu?"

"In essence," she said, her voice coming out a bit breathy. Her wrist was released, and she returned to evading Uvogin. But Chrollo's eyes were still following her.

 **. End of Chapter .**

 **(A/N: Yeah, I left it on a cliffhanger. I rather wanted to finish it up quickly. Next chapter will be about Kurapika distracting Chrollo. And yeah, it's as suggestive as it sounds. Time for Kurapika to put her skills of seduction to good use. That being said, I'm thinking about going through a complete revision of both sequels (at least before I start on the third book). I think I might finish this fic first, and then go through a deep cleaning of both books, just for the sake of a better reading experience for you guys.)**


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